Feat or menace?

[wsuffa]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/...ogy&guid=20071012093000&dcitc=w19-506-ak-0009

Oct. 12, 2007 — Think "flying saucer" and UFOs or 1950s B movies come to mind (see "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still"). But now researchers have built an unmanned aerial vehicle that looks and acts like the imagined thing.

The disc-shaped device can take off vertically from any surface, land practically anywhere, and if it accidentally contacts a building or cliff, it won't explode into a fireball, like those rascally helicopters.

These features could make the aircraft uniquely suited to flying in urban war zones, aiding with search and rescue in disaster areas, inspecting crops and pipelines, and taking aerial photographs (read: surveillance).

 

[KennyFlys]

George saw only the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Henning]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/...ogy&guid=20071012093000&dcitc=w19-506-ak-0009

It hasn't been a problem to build these types of vehicles for several decades. The issue has always been the power required and fuel consumption rates have given them very limited range and usefulness. I saw nothing about this that changed that. Anyone know if this thing has some revolutionary power supply?

 

[gismo]

It hasn't been a problem to build these types of vehicles for several decades. The issue has always been the power required and fuel consumption rates have given them very limited range and usefulness. I saw nothing about this that changed that. Anyone know if this thing has some revolutionary power supply?

No mention of the power source, but I would assume a gasoline ICE. This is basically a powered lift device with no ability to transition to a more efficient configuration where a significant part of the lift is provided by the airflow resulting from forward motion. Figure on something like 0.1 mpg at slow speeds and less if it goes fast.