DelFly II, Just the First of a Long Line of Tiny Flying Robot Spycams

Charlie White — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:11:23 EDT

This is not just some radio-controlled insect-like aircraft, no sirree. This is the DelFly II, a robotic dragonfly spy, developed by robot jockeys at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. While government agencies are not admitting to using such things, you can see how this hovering electro-insect with a camera on board might come in handy for some serious snooping. The current model weighs just 16.04 grams, can fly for 15 minutes at 30mph or can hover for eight minutes, and has vision-based stabilization for its onboard camera. Check out another video of the DelFly II in flight, after the jump.

Imagine this technology miniaturized even further; its makers are now developing the DelFly Nano with a wingspan of just two inches. Hey, that's nearly invisible. Evildoers who hate America will think it's just a large insect spying into their bedroom windows. [BotJunkies and Danger Room, via bb Gadgets]

Google Streetview Camera Car Fleet Set to Invade America

Charlie White — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:17:24 EDT

A camera-toting tipster saw what appeared to be a giant armada of Chevy Cobalt cars in the Google parking lot, getting ready to take pictures of the entire world (or thereabouts) with special 360° cameras. The tipster says he followed a Google camera van as it cruised back to its Mountain View, California, lair yesterday after that van finished a session of picture taking for Google's Streetview navigation site. Exactly what did he see?

It was an entire fleet of at least 30 brand-new Chevy Cobalt cars parked behind the building, most without license plates yet. As you can see in the pictures above, each had a metal device attached to its top, which looks suspiciously like a vertical extension for mounting Google's Streetview 360° camera.

Our telltale tipster tells us he thinks Google is "preparing their invasion of US cities with an armada of C.C.C.Cs (Chevy Cobalt Camera Cars). I guess Cobalts are cheap but they certainly will be conspicuous. Maybe that's what they want."

It looks like an auspicious addition to the camera car fleet, but it's going to take more than thirty Chevy Cobalts to take a portrait of the entire Earth, or even of the Silicon Valley. However, with Google's zillions, just about anything's possible. It's got its eye on you; the end is near.

Gizmodo: eye on you

DelFly II, Just the First of a Long Line of Tiny Flying Robot Spycams

Google Streetview Camera Car Fleet Set to Invade America