Make drones sound less annoying by factoring in humans at the design stage
We've devised a way to factor in noise annoyance levels in drone design.
Dec. 21, 2020 • ~5 min
drones noise-pollution noise unmanned-aerial-vehicles drone-delivery civil-aviation
Scientists suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here's how the weapons work
High-power microwave weapons are useful for disabling electronics. They might also be behind the ailments suffered by US diplomats and CIA agents in Cuba and China.
Dec. 10, 2020 • ~8 min
china russia cuba drones microwave cold-war soviet-union military-drones uavs cia diplomats
‘Smellicopter’ uses a live moth antenna to hunt for scents
A new tiny drone called Smellicopter uses a live moth antenna to navigate toward smells. It can also avoid obstcles in the air.
Dec. 9, 2020 • ~8 min
sensors drones moths biomimicry science-and-technology
New drone technology advances volcanic monitoring
Specially-adapted drones, developed by an international team involving scientists from the University of Cambridge, are transforming how we forecast eruptions
Oct. 30, 2020 • ~6 min
climate-change carbon volcano drones
Backpack-toting moths can drop sensors where people can’t
Tiny sensors that weigh less than jellybeans and ride on the back of moths may help researchers study places too dangerous for people to get to.
Oct. 12, 2020 • ~5 min
insects sensors drones moths science-and-technology
Some bees are born curious while others are more single-minded – new research hints at how the hive picks which flowers to feast on
New research suggests individual bees are born with one of two learning styles – either curious or focused. Their genetic tendency has implications for how the hive works together.
Oct. 5, 2020 • ~7 min
genetics insects bees biology food colonies communication group-dynamics drones queen-bees information curiosity foraging nectar
Robots go their own way deep in the ocean
Firms are building robots that can survey the seabed and underwater structures without human help.
Aug. 13, 2020 • ~7 min
robotics artificial-intelligence wind-power renewable-energy drones
How to hide from a drone – the subtle art of 'ghosting' in the age of surveillance
Avoiding drones' prying eyes can be as complicated as donning a high-tech hoodie and as simple as ducking under a tree.
July 28, 2020 • ~7 min
facial-recognition demonstrations surveillance gps drones infrared mit-press civil-liberties mass-surveillance surveillance-systems us-protests face-surveillance
With the help of trained dolphins, our team of researchers is building a specialized drone to help us study dolphins in the wild
Wild dolphins are fast, smart and hard to study, but it is important to understand how human actions affect their health. So we are building a drone to sample hormones from the blowholes of dolphins.
July 1, 2020 • ~9 min
robots hormones marine-biology drones whales bermuda dolphins dolphin stress-hormones marine-mammals innovation-and-invention
Watch an acrobatic drone pull off great stunts
A new drone can pull off acrobatic maneuvers like barrel rolls or loops. More than just looking cool, it could be a step to autonomous flying robots.
June 23, 2020 • ~5 min
robots sensors drones algorithms featured science-and-technology flight
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