Archive for March 3, 2016

Erkin | March 3, 2016
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Parrot takes to the water with a new hydrofoil drone

Parrot is already known for its drones that fly through the air and roll/jump along the ground, but until now the French company hasn’t had much to do with the water. That’ll change next month, however, when Parrot releases its Minidrone Hydrofoil.

The-Parrot-Minidrone-Hydrofoil-1The new product consists of two components – a main unpowered hydrofoil body, and a Parrot aerial Minidrone that can be attached to its deck via a hinged mount. When the Minidrone is fired up, instead of going straight up into the air as it would ordinarily, it pivots to sit perpendicular to the watercraft, turning it into a miniature fan boat. Read more

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Erkin | March 1, 2016
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Secrets of water-skipping revealed

Skipping stones across water may seem like an innocent children’s pastime, but the science behind it has helped to win more than one war. Now, researchers at Utah State University’s (USU) College of Engineering are uncovering new insights into the physics of these kinds of water impacts that could have wide applications in the fields of naval, maritime, and ocean engineering.

skipping-stones-2It may seem strange, but knowing how to skip things off the water is a very important branch of physics. In the 18th century, Admiral Lord Nelson found that by skipping his cannonballs off the waves he could increase their range and impact. More famously, during the Second World War, Barnes Wallis used the principle to create his Bouncing Bomb, which was the secret weapon to destroy the vital dams in Nazi Germany’s Ruhr Valley during the Dambuster Raid in 1943. Read more

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