A drone helicopter being developed by researchers at Virginia Tech could one day provide first responders intelligence from the site of a nuclear blast. The helicopter, which has so far cost nearly $1.4 million, weighs 250 pounds and can be fitted with stereoscopic cameras and radiation sensors to take 3-D pictures of a blast site. According to the Innovations Report, the production version of the helicopter will have the ability to see at night and through smoke and fog. The device is expected to be mission-ready in three years, and presumably the helicopter’s payload bay could be fitted with other sensors for other applications.
For more information, read the full article from the Innovations Report.
Virginia Tech Developing Drone Helicopter to Investigate Nuclear Disasters
By: News Report on March 12, 2010
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