Russia and Ukraine have deployed an army of drones in their conflict. Mechanized warfare is about to dramatically change in the 21st century.
The Russia-Ukraine war is using military drones not just to gather intelligence, but also to kill. Are autonomous robot armies to follow?
ChatGPT is best known as an AI program capable of writing essays and answering questions, but now Microsoft is using the chatbot to control robots.
On Monday, the company’s researchers published (Opens in a new window) a paper on how ChatGPT can streamline the process of programming software commands to control various robots, such as mechanical arms and drones.
“We still rely heavily on hand-written code to control robots,” the researchers wrote. Microsoft’s approach, on the other hand, taps ChatGPT to write some of the computer code.
A remarkable group of drone prototypes from a team at the University of Tokyo takes multirotor complexity to the next level. These hypnotic flying robots are able to change their structural shape mid-air, creating some unprecedented capabilities.
Autonomous aircraft have long been thought of as having the most potential, though not in the realm of glitzy people-carrying drones so much as the more sedate world of cargo. It’s here where the economic savings could be most significant. Large, long-range drones built specifically for cargo have the potential to be faster, cheaper and produce fewer CO2 emissions than conventional aircraft, enabling same-day shipping over very long distances. In fact, the “flying delivering van” is considered the holy grail by many cargo operators.
In this space there are a number of companies operating, and these include: ElroyAir (California, raised $56 million), hybrid electric, VTOL, so so therefore short range; Natilus (California, funding undisclosed) uses a blended wing body, and is a large, longer-term project entailing probably quite high costs in certification and production; and Beta (Vermont, $886 million raised), which is an electric VTOL.
Into this space, out of Bulgaria (but HQ’d in London), comes Dronamics. The startup has already attained a license to operate in Europe, and plans to run a “cargo drone airline” using drones built specifically for the purpose. Dronamics claims its flagship “Black Swan” model will be able to carry 350 kg (770 lb) at a distance of up to 2,500 km (1,550 miles) faster, cheaper and with less emissions than currently available options.
Resist the temptation to take credit for patchwork combinations of other people’s work. If you’re great, prove it by articulating unique ideas in unique ways. Never before has there been a better opportunity for ambitious thinkers to achieve greatness. When others are creating and consuming synthetically generated content like flying drones in a perpetual hover state, there’s an opportunity for non-drones to fly higher, farther and faster.
For example, students manipulating the system by having ChatGPT write essays miss an opportunity to learn, demonstrate a dangerously poor understanding of ethics and prove they’re no better than everyone else. Students who learn on their own, articulate original ideas and share a passion for a subject will outperform the machines by an increasingly wide margin.
The future of humans is a fusion of what machines and people do best. What can be predicted or regurgitated should be left to machines, but what requires judgment or rational thinking should be left to us. Generative AI isn’t a crutch, it’s not a panacea, and it’s not a threat to humans. We’re the only species capable of synthesizing ideas, forming opinions and making decisions based on ethical principles. Let’s use this moment in history to embrace the future while investing in our humanity.
A team of researchers has successfully developed drones from the bodies of stuffed dead birds. While a little macabre, the team members believe such drones could one day be used to watch animals without being seen.
But, as revealed at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech 2023 Forum, the same taxidermy drones could also be used to spy on human subjects by governments or militaries.
WASHINGTON — When the Pentagon revealed last week that a high-flying, Chinese balloon was spotted over the United States, officials said they didn’t expect the airship would add much value to the intelligence China is already gathering through its network of spy satellites.
“Our best assessment at the moment is that whatever the surveillance payload is on this balloon, it does not create significant value added over and above what the [People’s Republic of China] is likely able to collect through things like satellites in low Earth orbit,” a senior defense official told reporters Feb. 2.
While it’s unclear what information the uncrewed airship gathered before the Pentagon shot it down Feb. 4, experts say balloons loitering at high altitudes can offer some advantages over satellites and drones — or could at least augment their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
The skies were clear as the VISTA X-62A — a one-of-a-kind training aircraft built by Lockheed Martin on an F-16 platform — soared over the Mojave Desert. The cockpit of the high-tech jet is littered with expensive and highly sensitive avionics that enable pilots to perform their missions. But the designers could have crammed in even more technology if it were not for the two pilot seats. Their wish might come true in the not-so-distant future. That’s because this was not your regular sortie.
The training jet was recently reported to have flown 17 hours entirely operated by an artificial intelligence (AI) system, which could open the floodgates for completely autonomous jet fighters and drones. This is the first time that an AI has flown a tactical aircraft for this long.
The VISTA X-62 is perhaps the most powerful and versatile training jet in the world. It’s essentially an upgraded F-16D with Block 40 avionics installed, but with a lot of room for installing and trying out different hardware quickly and easily, that mimics the flight controls of other aircraft, enabling the aircraft itself to act as its own ground simulator. Those who’ve flown the X-62 describe it as a Swiss army knife that they can use to attach lots of different things to the airplane.
The UK’s development of an urban airport for flying cars and drones could inspire other nations to follow suit.
Nanoscale defects and mechanical stress cause the failure of solid electrolytes.
A group of researchers has claimed to have found the cause of the recurring short-circuiting issues of lithium metal batteries with solid electrolytes. The team, which consists of members from Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, aims to further the battery technology, which is lightweight, inflammable, energy-dense, and offers quick-charge capabilities. Such a long-lasting solution can help to overcome the barriers when it comes to the adoption of electric vehicles around the world.
A study published on January 30 in the journal Nature Energy details different experiments on how nanoscale defects and mechanical stress cause solid electrolytes to fail.
According to the team, the issue was down to mechanical stress, which was induced while recharging the batteries. “Just modest indentation, bending or twisting of the batteries can cause nanoscopic issues in the materials to open and lithium to intrude into the solid electrolyte causing it to short circuit,” explained William Chueh, senior study author and an associate professor at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
The possibility of dust or other impurities present at the manufacturing stage could also cause the batteries to malfunction.
## Cracks on the surface of ceramic electrolytes
The widespread use of ceramic materials source of solid electrolytes comes with a packing problem. Even though they enable the fast transport of lithium ions and separate the two electrodes that store energy, it is prone to developing tiny cracks on their surface.
