casual ultimate » Robotic Frisbees of Death

was brought to my attention via JKD and the Oberlin ulty listserve – you know it’s from an Obie because it’s about warfare. Apparently we weren’t just being paranoid - the defense department has been spying on left-leaning frisbee players lo these many years:

“‘The Frisbee disc has proven its potential on the sports field as a platform for short free-flights’…..Without ‘predefined flight orientation,’ a Frisbee drone ‘offers novel flight characteristics and manoeuvrability. It is potentially suitable for a variety of mission objectives fulfilling surveillance, communications, munitions and/or airborne radar warning systems.’”

UK researchers have also found that we’re going to have to attach jets of some sort if we want our throws more floaty:

“The disc-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configuration in question is based on the Frisbee™ sports disc shape, typically unstable in pitch and for practical purposes inertially stabilised by spinning. The Frisbee disc has proven its potential on the sports field as a platform for short free-flights. This research harnesses that potential proposing a UAV capable of sustained flight. A flying sports disc generates lift through forward velocity just like a conventional wing. The lift contributed by spin is insignificant and does not provide nearly enough down force to support hover. A spin-stabilised disc-wing UAV, based on the sports disc shape, requires a power plant and an appropriate method of provision for aerodynamic control. The spinning UAV demands a cyclically pulsed jet thruster of some description and investment from industry to develop the necessary small-scale propulsion technology.”

Do we have a materials scientist on staff? Think tank, what’s the plan? Maybe if we can develop an ultra lightweight plastic we can attach a couple cyclically pulsed jet thrusters and keep the whole thing under 175g.