This spherical remote surveillance tool, recently shown on TV Tokyo, has been getting a lot of attention on the web, as fan boys swoon over its futuristic design.“Wow, this spy plane blows my mind. It looks like something from a manga,” comments a user on 2Chan News.
Developed by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, the sphere is reportedly about the size of a soccer ball (though, in the video it appears to be be a bit bigger than that). It can enter through windows, go up stairs, turn sharp corners and reach speeds of up to 60 kph. Landings are easy: It simply rolls over to cushion its own fall.
A video camera can easily be mounted on the device and the self-defense force envisions that it will be used for surveillance by police in situations where they are unable to enter a building. Police in other parts of the world have already started experimenting with aerial surveillance tools, but this is said to be the world's first spherical design.
A rotary blade powers the flight and the presenter mentions at the end of the video that almost all the parts for it can be bought at Akihabara for ¥110,000. The man operating it says it’s easy to control by remote, but they’re now developing an auto-pilot function.
Another anonymous fanboy on 2Chan explaimed: “This 100 times more amazing than anything I could dream up.” What do you think?