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Comment by Havoc | Hacker News Reader

To what end?

This is a consumer version of what the PLA is probably deploying for military operations already.

Imagine a Humvee-equivalent with integrated drone scout giving real-time threat and mobility assessments... or for targeting support for air power.

Or a mesh network. Getting a signal is probably easier if you've got a repeater hovering above.

Based on the application domain, I want my personal security auto-mobile drone to resemble the gyrocopter in Mad Max.

A good way to create a dual-use technology in order to monetize it, amortize the development costs, and achieve production economics of scale.

For that matter, check out what China is doing with Ro-Ro ships. Amphibious assault -adjacent.

I can imagine using this tech to take high-res landscape videos while driving through wilderness regions or places with amazing vistas in general. You'd obviously need a co-pilot to actually operate the drone, but you could get some really amazing footage on the way to a camp site and while you're camped too. Could be cool for capturing candid videos during parties or at family reunions or such.

Surveying a pipeline, canal, electrical/communication line, rooftop. Drones are standard tools for site survey; you can inspect infrastructure without the same risk of human injury.

Could be cool for recording video, or scouting traffic patterns?

Traffic patterns have basically been solved by maps/waze/whatever. And you really don't want to be watching that screen even in a slow moving traffic. Recording video... maybe, but is that ever an in-the-moment thing? I never had an "I'd like to film my car going at city speeds" thought.

The Green Hornet used a car-launched drone to fight crime in the 60s. Similarly, Joe Astor in the 90s.

I'd be curious to know the specific design and capabilities of the Green Hornet's drone.

Top down view to you can drive like a videogame?

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