I Want One (or Many): Flying Self-Assembling Platforms

Earlier today, we reported on how unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in demonstrations of prototype weaponized lasers. With the Distributed Flight Array developed by scientists at ETH Zurich’s Institute of Dynamic Systems and Control, shooting down UAVs may become a little more difficult to do now. This new technology allows for an autonomous drone (complete with its own motor, sensor, and flight control system) to locate other vehicles, dock with them, and subsequently create a cluster that can travel en masse.

Imagine the possibilities with these flying platforms: As the vehicles, when connected, can bear more weight than a single drone, a sizable array could hypothetically carry the heaviest of cargo.

Watch a video of these babies dancing together below:

(via Aviation Week)