AeroVironment win Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award

Imagine building a tiny hummingbird-sized surveillance aircraft. Now imagine that this remote-controlled drone can not only hover or fly in any direction, but also go in and out of open doorways – all while capturing everything on digital video. If you could build something like that you’d want to call … well, Popular Mechanics, right? As it turns out, Popular Mechanics called AeroVironment Corp. In fact, the magazine selected the Pasadena-based company as a 2011 Breakthrough award winner for its Nano Hummingbird unmanned aircraft system. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Nano Hummingbird is currently in the demonstration phase. But the groundbreaking technology has caught the attention of plenty of potential customers. The magazine’s award – presented Monday in New York – recognizes DARPA’s Todd Hylton and AeroVironment’s Matt Keennon and Karl Klingebiel for conceiving and creating this first-of-its kind unmanned air vehicle. “They spent four-and-a- half years on their program,” AV Vice President Steven Gitlin said. “But that team had been working in this domain for a decade before that, so they were about as well equipped as anyone to do this.” Even the most jaded observers are amazed when they see the remote-controlled drone […]
AeroVironment win Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award