When it comes to making cutting edge and out of the box technological advancements, the Japanese are unrivalled. Earlier this year, the Japanese Ministry of Defense created a spherical flying drone affectionately dubbed the ‘probe droid' by enthusiastic online bloggers. The invention looks like something out of a Star Wars movie. The drone is one of the first of its kind, and was showcased publicly in Tokyo last month. The drone can hover in mid air, fly both horizontally and vertically through tight spaces at speeds up to 60km/h. The drone is also so stable that it maintains flight even after colliding with an object and can also travel on the ground by rolling. It has three gyros built in it that provides the stability needed to sustain flight when it collides with an object. What makes the drone truly magnificent is the fact that it is made entirely of commercially available parts, with a total cost of 1,400 dollars and weighs in a 350 grams.The drone is a product of the Japanese military's Research and Development department. According to the inventor, Fumiyuki Sato, the drone is an attempt to improve on a plane they have been developing. “In our R&D department we have a plane that can stand up vertically after flying horizontally,” Sato said. “But the problem with the plane is that take off and landing are very difficult. One idea was to make the exterior round or changing the method of altitude control and that is how we came with this machine to test the idea.” Due to the maneuverability and ability to reach places which thus far have proven to be difficult by air, there is the hope that it could prove useful in reconnaissance and rescue operations. And now your highness, we will discuss the location of your hidden rebel bases (queue Star Wars music). BM
