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Google Experimenting With UAV Spy Drones?

- By - Source : Tom's Guide US

Might Google be using these to photograph where its Street View cars aren't capable of going?

Google uses satellite images for Google Earth and it uses manned cars with camera to make Street View Maps images. The search giant is now believed to be testing 'spy drones' as part of its information gathering effort.

German maker of spy aircraft Microdrones GmbH said that it has sold one of the remote control flying drones to Google, and it hopes to sell dozens more in the future.

"The UAVs are well suited to provide more timely recording of the map service Google Earth," said Microdrones chief exec Sven Juerss, according to the Register.

The machine sold to Google is a battery-powered md4-1000 quadcopter that can stay airborne for an hour, capturing pictures during that time.

Google isn't the first to use the unmanned aircraft. In fact, it's rather late to the party compared to the military and even police forces around the world.

Merseyside Police in the UK have been using these £40,000 machines for a couple years now and earlier on this year it managed to use one of them to catch a car thief. Read that full story here.

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icepick314 08/12/2010 1:33 PM
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"Merseyside Police in the UK have been using these £40,000 machines for a couple years now and earlier on this year it managed to use one of them to catch a car thief."

that car better be worth FAR more than £40,000....

insider3 08/12/2010 1:48 PM
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Starcraft is becoming reality.

xsamitt 08/12/2010 1:49 PM
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Please come clean Toms.Who quit?No new main article all this week.

insider3 08/12/2010 1:49 PM
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icepick314 :
"Merseyside Police in the UK have been using these £40,000 machines for a couple years now and earlier on this year it managed to use one of them to catch a car thief."that car better be worth FAR more than £40,000....



Why? It's not like the Police get to keep it anyway.

silentq 08/12/2010 1:56 PM
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i gotta now shut my blinds - you never know who can be "hovering" at my window. Mind you - 10th floor.

serra 08/12/2010 1:59 PM
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Why is it that I'm reading a story about google spy drones, when it was on Druge 5 days ago, and has since been proven to be completely false?

nebun 08/12/2010 2:04 PM
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go google go...spread your wings :)

irh_1974 08/12/2010 2:06 PM
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serra :
Why is it that I'm reading a story about google spy drones, when it was on Druge 5 days ago, and has since been proven to be completely false?


It was on The Register too, same thing
Slow news week?

yzfr1guy 08/12/2010 2:39 PM
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There's no hiding from The Man. Privacy is broken promise that will forever be just a thing of the past. Google is the governments right hand man feeding their one world prison planet plan..

skykaptain 08/12/2010 2:55 PM
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"Google isn't the first to use the unmanned aircraft. In fact, it's rather late to the party compared to the military and even police forces around the world."

The military and police have their uses for UAV's but for a private corporation? Seems a little over the top imo.

moomooman 08/12/2010 3:04 PM
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Google, making Skynet look humanitarian

halls 08/12/2010 3:11 PM
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Hopefully it was canned after they realized it would be illegal.

crashtest 08/12/2010 4:12 PM
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News choppers have been a common corporate airborne surveilance system for years, frequently broadcasting their images on live TV. This really isn't anything new, if you are in public or leave your windows open someone might see you or take pictures of you. That was true long before google existed. Even if you're on the 10th floor someone with a telescope could see you. Perhaps it's just a case of blissful ignorance that you can no longer maintain?

urbansaint 08/12/2010 4:26 PM
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siiiiiick!

drethon 08/12/2010 4:44 PM
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£40,000? I know a group that could make that for less than $1,000... whatever...

RaZZ3R 08/12/2010 4:58 PM
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New from Google: Street View from above ?!?

tolham 08/12/2010 5:47 PM
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ok, that's it, google is officially big brother now.

mrecio 08/12/2010 6:01 PM
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Google is a secret government agency bent on taking over the world!!!! but dammit android is sweet.

fonzy 08/12/2010 6:20 PM
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Well I guess we will have to move to a 3rd world country to be free now (for a little while atleast) or everyone will have to take up arms and remove these guys by force.

sviola 08/12/2010 7:29 PM
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I find it to be amazing that there might be people who would click on a link that has jailbaitpics666 written on it....

gm0n3y 08/12/2010 7:59 PM
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irh_1974 :
It was on The Register too, same thingSlow news week?


The Register isn't particularly reliable at the best of times.

bobusboy 08/12/2010 8:32 PM
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md4-1000..... T-1000 concidence i think no.

computerrock1 08/12/2010 8:41 PM
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Google, The new big brother. The one you never knew you had

drhenks 08/12/2010 10:03 PM
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I for one am very excited about the new paintball/airsoft targets Google has seen fit to furnish us with.

f-14 08/12/2010 11:50 PM
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you've all heard of google street view, guess googles next plan is google sky view. street view caught weird people in costume and people falling down or crashing thier bicycles, guess they figured out the real money was on the topless and nude sunbathers, not to mention cities who want to fine property owners for illegally installing pools and other structures?
me personally, i'll wait for google windowviewer, might be interesting and worth becomming a private detective to find out who someones spouse is having an affair with, or what HP CEO's are having for lunch! possibilities are endless.

zaam 08/13/2010 4:38 AM
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This might have been more interesting if they were Predator drones.

ordcestus 08/13/2010 5:24 AM
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Rab1d-BDGR :
Can we use these spy drones to hunt down and assassinate spammers?Go on Toms, you know it would be worth tossing down £40k. ;-)


I'm a good rifleman. I will donate my services and some money to track down that guy.