New spinning drone hides in plain sight

5 hours ago

Northwestern University engineers designed a drone called 'Phantom Twist' that uses motion blur to appear nearly invisible.
The drone spins at 25 times per second, too fast for the human eye to see clearly, creating a ghostly smudge that blends into the background.
This approach focuses on exploiting human perception of motion rather than using camouflage or transparent materials.
Potential applications include wildlife monitoring, environmental surveys, and infrastructure inspection with reduced visual disruption.
The research was presented at Robotics: Science and Systems 2026 in Sydney, Australia, led by Professor Michael Rubenstein.

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