This Engineering Newswire looks at launching 50 drones into the sky and shape-shifting with Mercedes new concept car.
50 Drones Swam in Record Breaking Event
A team at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, has successful launched 50 drones that were all controlled by a one person. To the team’s knowledge this set a world record. The Zephyr drones cost about $2,000 each, and were custom-made largely from hobby parts.
To launch the drones, the team developed a chain-driven launcher to fire the drones quickly one after the other. Currently, one drone can be launched every 30 seconds, due to safety checks, but the team hopes to reduce this time to 10 seconds or less. Building a second launcher could also help speed up the process.
Shape-Shifting Mercedes Concept Car
Many automotive manufacturers are thinking outside the box to develop vehicles with better fuel economy. Mercedes is taking this quest to a whole new level with its Concept IAA (Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile), which shape-shifts at higher speeds to more efficiently cut through air.
When the sleek four door coupe hits 50 mph, eight segments built into the rear of the car extend the tail section by up to 15 inches, while flaps in the front bumper extend by 0.98 inches forwards and 0.79 inches towards the rear of the car. These alterations improve airflow around the front wheel arches.