The Maple Seed Samarai

Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 by MegaZone

Lockheed Martin Logo The Lockheed Martin Samarai is a pretty cool micro UAV. And yes, it is Samarai and not samurai. Hey, I didn’t name it.

It is based on the maple seed. For anyone who’s lived in an area where maple trees grow, you’ve probably seen these seeds falling from the trees. They’re asymmetrical wings which spiral gently down, and can travel for a fair distance on the wind. Lockheed Martin has used this design with motor to allow for sustained flight, and software provides control. The whole vehicle spins, including the camera, but the operator sees a steady picture thanks to image processing. It’s a radical design, and I think it looks pretty cool. It is certainly different from the typical fixed- or rotary-wing designs.

About MegaZone

MegaZone is the Editor of Gizmo Lovers and the chief contributor. He's been online since 1989 and active in several generations of 'social media' - mailing lists, USENet groups, web forums, and since 2003, blogging.    MegaZone has a presence on several social platforms: Google+ / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / LiveJournal / Web.    You can also follow Gizmo Lovers on other sites: Blog / Google+ / Facebook / Twitter.
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  • SineWaveII

    Cool! When can I buy one?

  • SineWaveII

    Cool! When can I buy one?

    • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

      I wouldn’t expect LockMart to sell these to the public, of course. But given the progress of technology I wouldn’t be surprised to see a ‘toy’ version of the design available in the next couple of years – operated from your Android or iOS device.

      There are already mini-RC helicopters with on-board cameras that can be flown from Android & iOS devices – I bought one for my nephew a few months back.

      • SineWaveII

        Yeah, a toy was what I was referring to. Thanks for the reply.

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