At 2 ft. in length and weighing 6 lb. (60 cm, 2.7 kg), the Switchblade drone can be carried into battle in a backpack. It’s a kamikaze: the person controlling it uses a real-time video feed from the drone to crash it into a precise target—say, a sniper. Its tiny warhead detonates on impact. In effect, it makes fighters in the field their own air support.
Best Inventions of the Year 2012
Robots, rovers and the rest of 2012's most important innovations, from the affordable to the extreme
The Switchblade Drone
Price: $40,000–$150,000 (estimated)
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