Drones Controlled With Your Eyes?

Drone technology is taking off.

Samsung recently received a U.S. patent for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) that can be controlled simply by moving your eyes. The drone features an integrated display and four propellers and can detect various types of user information, including the position, but also the face and pupil of the user. In addition, gestures can be recognized. The drone also includes a voice recognition system and a vibration system, according to LetsgoDigital. (Scroll down for English.)

In December 2017, Amazon was awarded a patent (No. 9,828,097) for a “direct fragmentation for unmanned airborne vehicle”—in other words, a drone that self-destructs in midair if something goes amiss. An onboard “fragmentation controller” would take charge in the event of a catastrophic failure such as an exploding battery, allowing it to be dismantled in small parts that would do little damage if they fell from the sky. The patent reads: “During the fragmentation sequence, one or more parts or components of the UAV can be released. In doing so, the weight, speed, air drag coefficient, and other factors related to the UAV can be altered.” Read more at The Verge.

How about a UAV submarine? Boeing has a patent for a drone that swims and can be launched from an aircraft, fly, then lower itself into the water where it can swim using propellers. Check out this video:

— LetsgoDigital, theverge.com, iflscience!