I can't imagine having to analyze that spinning video feed one of these would provide.

Can you say "Ralph!!!"

Each picture comes with it's own spin.

Maybe under the right conditions, they could sprout into camera trees...

ideaman2020: Only in the UK.

Or, maybe they could just snap a picture from one of them satellites we got up there. I can see the brickwork on my front walkway from Google Maps - do we need more than that? Are you telling me that our satellites can't already do better?

don't we already have drones that do this?

wow, can anyone say waste of my tax dollars or perhaps, money laundering... I wonder how much a "nice chunk of change" is.

I agree with freeman, how is a computer going to even scrap these things together to make a whole picture... I hate our goverilitary.

They might as well throw $100 bills out the aircraft window.

I guess we're invading Canada next...

Did I miss something? Is the Giz staff at some kind of Spa Camera Trade Show today?

i wouldn't have to pick them all up afterwards.

I didn't know we had so many experts in satellite tasking reading the Giz! Good stuff.

Next up...God files suit with Lockheed Martin for ripping off his patent.

BY GEISRUD AT 01:23 PM

Or, maybe they could just snap a picture from one of them satellites we got up there. I can see the brickwork on my front walkway from Google Maps - do we need more than that? Are you telling me that our satellites can't already do better?

Well the problem with satellites is that they're always you know moving, unless of course they're in a Geostationary orbit. Which has its limitation for surveillance because it has to be around the equator. As for the moving satellites, if the bad guys have the timetable on your satellites your screwed. Anyway, the point is that while satellites are indeed useful for surveillance there are limitations and a gap that needs to be filled.

That being said, what the hell were they thinking? How is this design practical? Just because its found in nature doesn't mean it's the best idea for the job. They should stick with the fly spy, or better yet the dragonfly spy! Of course birds, and flying incest are a bit tricky to mimic with all our technology as yet.

Instead of maple seeds why not attach cameras to those toy parachuting green army men we played with as kids. Can you imagine thousands of em gliding down? More stable picture I suppose.

"They should stick with the fly spy, or better yet the dragonfly spy! Of course birds, and flying incest are a bit tricky to mimic with all our technology as yet."

flying incest!? How much money would it cost for the government to develop that?

Perhaps looking into the camera more before jumping to conclusions on how its a "waste of money" would be wise. You've read a paragraph about it and assume that its a waste, which it may be. I can see where these would be cheaper than drones, although I'm not sure.

That's amazingly cool, but the spin would make you sick.

So what they need to do is put the camera at the center of a ring surrounded by lightweight carbon fiber bearings so that the "leaf" or "wing" can spin around the camera keeping it aloft while isolating the camera from the spin.

How much does Lockheed pay again?

@magicmonkeymeat:

flying incest.
def.: joining the mile high club in the family's Cessna.

just to address a few of the more assinine objections to this survalence technology.

drones can be shot down, just like maned air recon can be shot down. dropping a bomb full of seeds on an area is much easier than taking a picture of it.

satelites have a number of limitations not the least of which is the limited number of possible locations that can be photographed simultaniously and viewing angle. using them is not free either.

And I suppose these are environmentally friendly and will break down appropriately.

I didn't RTFA, but maybe these aren't meant to take footage while falling.. maybe they're meant to take footage AFTER they've covertly landed in a town or whatnot with people thinking nothing of them?

"The nano air vehicle, or NAV, is designed to carry interchangeable payload modules -- the size of an aspirin tablet. It could be used for chemical and biological detection or finding a "needle in a haystack," according to Ned Allen, chief scientist at Lockheed's fabled Skunk Works research arm."

Has nothing to do with cameras.

@bdkennedy1:
"And I suppose these are environmentally friendly and will break down..."

No need... we come along later and drop bombs on them. ;)

The pentagon has been said to work on robotic spying insects and has probably tried rat-mounted cameras, but this maple seed camera is one of the most interesting project to date. Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract to develop this device.

The article mentions them being used to detect breathing and speed up the search for survivors. Think about a battlefield covered in bodies and you need to search to know which ones are still alive. You can blanket the area in these and guide rescuers right to them.

Leonardo would be fascinated, excited and disgusted all at the same time.

@nailscars:

... or, "all those who are still alive... raise your hand... if you have one..."

Should you start a freedom fighter/terrorist/insurgency/knitting club, don't be tempted to conduct your sly business beneath the gentle arms of a sycamore tree. They, as can be discerned from the above photograph, are not on your side.

yeah, what do those jerks at lockheed know anyway, it's not like they're rocket scientists... besides we should be spending all of our tax money on investments for the future like D.C. Public schools instead of military R&D. Let China do the research and we can just buy our hardware from them.

These are made using the $500 pentagon hammers.
When I see crap like this I realize that I am SOOOO in the wrong business.

Any video of this flying?

I can imagine how this might be useful.

If they are small and cheap enough, you can drop a box of them, or even throw a handful in the air, and remote software could stitch together a 3D photo/video landscape out of all the image data (since the camera is both spinning and falling).

Kind of like how Micosoft's PhotoSynth project works.