August 9, 2007 1:35 PM PDT
This "mini" unmanned aerial vehicle, which weighs no more than 25 pounds, isn't really meant for combat. Called the Bat mini-UAV, it's intended for government and researcher types who want to gather aerial images and data from up to 10,000 feet in the air. Launched by a bungee catapult, the portable system can be equipped with a Sony color camera with a 25x optical zoom and, if desired, a thermal camera, whose images are shuttled to the ground through a 2.4 GHz downlink. Made by a Mountain View, Calif.-based company called MLB Spyplanes, the small drone starts at $52,000. The company also offers mapping and monitoring services to those who aren't interested in investing in the craft itself.
Photo by Anne Broache/CNET News.com
