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| Smart Pallets Flock as they Fall |
| 2005-04-22 |
| April 22, 2005: The U.S. Air Force has developed air dropped supply pallets that incorporate GPS and a simple system that controls the parafoil (a gliding parachute) so that the pallet can land at a pre-programmed destination. This was fine for a single pallet, but the most effective drops involve many pallets, often dozens, from several aircraft. So the Oynx system was developed, which enabled the many pallets in a "swarm" to communicate enough to avoid collision, and actually glide in formation. Tests have shown that an Oynx swarm can contain at least fifty pallets, each of which can glide up to fifty kilometers before landing within fifty meters of the GPS location they were programmed to head for. Thus a few C-17s could put over a hundred tons of supplies on the ground within minutes, with pinpoint accuracy, and little risk of pallets colliding with each other in the air. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Criminy, I wish my freight pallets could do this themselves. :) Instead, I have the Crown SP3200. |
| Posted by: Asedwich 2005-04-22 11:47:44 PM |
| #10 Pallet warfare. Hehe. Hehe. That's cool. |
| Posted by: Brett 2005-04-22 11:36:53 PM |
| #9 Lol Shipman- in my 52 years that makes one compliment about my rhythm ! Seriously, as Phil says, this is very cool. Imagine what use Special Forces types can make of this system. I wonder how much weight it can take. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2005-04-22 10:36:51 PM |
| #8 Like the rhythm Grunter. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-04-22 5:05:10 PM |
| #7 I prefer Oynx- the guided gliding swarming infidel robot pigs, the ultimate weapon in the WOT. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2005-04-22 12:13:35 PM |
| #6 Can it sort the goods inside so that wht you need is near the opening? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-04-22 12:08:34 PM |
| #5 Frank is correct. ONYX = Autonomously Guided Parachute System |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-04-22 11:58:51 AM |
| #4 Oynx? not Onyx? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-04-22 11:22:30 AM |
| #3 100 tons of GPS guided beans,bullets and bandids.Now that is cool. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-04-22 11:20:11 AM |
| #2 Be a handy way to deliver a swarm of robots to clear a LZ for you. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-04-22 10:17:46 AM |
| #1 OK, this is cool. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-04-22 9:53:26 AM |