As if these weren’t “hot” topics already.
You might remember the video a few months back of a drone firing a handgun. Now, Austin Haughwout, the Connecticut teen behind it, has uploaded a new video, “Roasting the Holiday Turkey,” that features a drone spit-roasting a meat carcass with a flamethrower.
No, Haughwout didn’t break out the UAV at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
The stunt was filmed outside, and buckets of water, hoses, and fire extinguishers were on hand in case things took an ugly turn. Most of the extra parts used to create the fire-breathing drone were taken from HobbyKing.com (nothing like corporate sponsorship once you become YouTube-famous). Haughwout also 3D-printed materials, including wiring and soldering.
The consensus among YouTube viewers seems to be that this is an awesome (albeit mildly terrifying) sight to behold, though I can’t help but wonder what the legal scholars will have to say about it. If I had to guess, they’re probably pulling out their already thinning hair because, well, we the people might have the right to bear arms; but, by extension, does that give us license to deck out our drones in weapons?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had begun investigating Haughwout’s gun video but turned the issue over to local authorities. Charges were ultimately dropped when it was decided that Haughwout wasn’t breaking the law.
Hey, I say—take this video for what it is: a drone hobbyist operating his piece of equipment in a controlled manner and remote environment. No, this doesn’t mean that swarms of torch-wielding robots are coming to make off with your children.
That being said, anyone else wondering how the turkey tasted?
Filed Under: M2M (machine to machine)
