Quadrocopters can do more than take part in elaborate dances — they're making the jump into gymnastics. Dario Brescianini, a student at ETH Zurich's Institute for Dynamic Systems and Controls, has programmed the mini-drones to perform stunts and juggle poles between themselves. It all takes place in ETH Zurich's Flying Machine Arena, a space decked out with a motion capture system and wireless networking to provide the perfect testing ground for tiny airborne vehicles.
Stuntman Gary Connery has pulled off a truly amazing feat, jumping 2,400 from a helicopter and landing safely on the ground without the use of a parachute.
The 42-year-old Connery made his landing on top of 18,600 cardboard boxes in a stunt captured live on video by the London Telegraph.
One hundred homes in Killeen, near Fort Hood, Texas, were evacuated last Tuesday's night after a missile accidentally fell from an AH-64 Apache helicopter. The residents were able to return one hour later, after the US Army found the projectile on the ground.
The helicopter was doing a routine flight. People on the ground reported the object falling from the helicopter around 8pm, which immediately prompted the evacuation. The missile was later recovered by US Army personal, who found it partially sunk into the ground.
Fortunately, it had neither explosives nor a propulsion system. A Fort Hood official assured the population that their aircraft never fly over populated areas with live munitions.
The missile was most probably an AGM-115 Hellfire, a 100-pound destructive beast that usually carries a highly explosive 20-pound warhead.
The Pentagon and the U.S. army are showing off some fancy new equipment in the form of a next-generation helicopter.
These gadgets-in-the-sky will include integrated sensors, faster speeds, automatic “pilotless” flights, better countermeasures and lower overall costs.
