If you are a drone owner looking to get a little more fun and functionality out of your flying machine, here is a little tool that might be of interest to you.
Designed by British engineer Ben Kardoosh, the excellently named “Mantis Drone Claw” is a more sophisticated version of the device used in those arcade games. He came up with the idea after deciding that drones would be more fun if they included an additional interactive element in addition to flying the machine and filming the environment.
The claw, which works without an external power source, consists of five metal claws attached and hangs from the end of the supplied Kevlar cable. The claws automatically extend when they touch a surface and reattach when the drone regains altitude. Point it to the right and any small object under the claws can be grabbed and returned to the drone operator; watch the video above to see it in action.
You can use it to salvage something you dropped in a hard-to-reach place, or perhaps as the basis for a game of fetch and return with friends. Heck, you can even use it to get rid of those discarded underpants that have been languishing on the floor for weeks.
Kardoosh recently launched its Mantis Drone Claw on Kickstarter and it needs just £5,000 ($7,550) in funding to bring it to market.
He plans three designs: an ultralight 20-gram version made of high-strength aluminum alloy components strong enough to lift anything up to a kilogram (as long as your drone can handle it).
The other design, which weighs 70 grams, is a sturdier unit made of steel that’s “flame, chemical, water and rust resistant,” says Kardoosh, adding: “If for any reason you ever needed use a drone to Pick up 2kg of burning coal, covered in acid, in seawater, you could with this.”
The most expensive model will be made to order and handcrafted by Kardoosh himself. This one comes in a presentation cabinet, and the designer suggests it will be “too pretty” for actual use.
With a contribution of £25 ($38) you’ll get the basic model, £39 ($59) for the more rugged design and £133 ($200) for the handcrafted version. If the project goes smoothly, backers should receive their Mantis Drone Claw in April 2016.
editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn