Written on July 13, 2008 – 3:00 am | by Bogdan Alex |
Everybody seems to be doing all sorts of automated robots and vehicles that are meant to put an end to the global warming issue. Some of the earlier vehicles may also get improved follow-ups, like the DevilRay unmanned aerial vehicle. DevilRay 1.0 didn’t see much use and the designers thought it could use some advanced power features.

Thus, the next version of the DevilRay unmanned aerial vehicle will feature the ability to dock to and recharge directly from power lines. Devilray 2.0 was redesigned by the same Defense Research Associates, and it now includes down-curled wingtips to make more low-speed maneuver possible. According to Gizmodo, the four-foot wide, propeller-driven flying wing will use "inverse capped helix winglets" to take advantage of the wingtip wind vortexes that form during flight, providing stabilization in lieu of a tail.

When it senses that power supplies are low, the DevilRay uses a combination of GPS and a magnometer to home in on power lines, and after it latches on it pulls electricity with electromagnetic induction. Now, it might sound like the vehicle is stealing energy, but the guys over at DRA don’t really that this will be a problem, though they haven’t yet tested the vehicle outside their facilities. If the DevilRay has unrestricted access to the power lines this would effectively provide infinite range for the vehicle.