uav

  • NASA Will Use UAVs To Hunt Down Baby Forest Fires

    NASA Will Use UAVs To Hunt Down Baby Forest Fires

    Finding forest fires when they’re big is relatively easy — you can see them from space. Or, y’know, just follow the burning smell. But if firefighters can identify a burn when it’s just started, it’s obviously far easier to nip in the bud. Sounds like a job for our old friend Mr Drone.


  • Should Cities Have Zoning For Drones?

    Should Cities Have Zoning For Drones?

    In the US, the FAA’s rules about commercial drones have so far been ham-fisted: ban, except in special cases. And who knows how things will pan out in Australia where three Aussie entrepreneurs want regulatory approval to deliver parcels using drones. But what would a world where we live, play, and work next to drones…


  • Feature: DARPA Tried To Build Skynet In The 1980s

    Feature: DARPA Tried To Build Skynet In The 1980s

    From 1983 to 1993, the US Government’s DARPA program spent over $US1 billion on a program called the Strategic Computing Initiative. The agency’s goal was to push the boundaries of computers, artificial intelligence, and robotics to build something that, in hindsight, looks strikingly similar to the dystopian future of the Terminator movies. They wanted to…