The Drones Er Takin Er Jerbz!

Durka Durrr!

The video shows quadrocopters autonomously assembling a rope bridge. This is part of a body of research in aerial construction, a field that addresses the construction of structures with the aid of flying machines.

In this work, a rope bridge that can support the crossing of a person is built by quadrocopters, showing for the first time that small flying machines are capable of autonomously realizing load-bearing structures at full-scale and proceeding a step further towards real-world scenarios. Except for the required anchor points at both ends of the structure, the bridge consists exclusively of tensile elements and its connections and links are entirely realized by flying machines. Spanning 7.4 m between two scaffolding structures, the bridge consists of nine rope segments for a total rope length of about 120 m and is composed of different elements, such as knots, links, and braids. The rope used for these experiments is made out of Dyneema, a material with a low weight-to-strength ratio and thus suitable for aerial construction. Of little weight (7 g per meter), a 4 mm diameter rope can sustain 1300 kg.

[Federico Augugliaro]

Free eGuide: 7 Tips for Customizing the Windows 10 Taskbar

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A free guide from our friends over at MakeUseOf that will teach you 7 great tips to help you customize the Windows 10 taskbar!

The taskbar is a staple feature of Microsoft’s operating system and it’s no different with Windows 10. It’s been given a lick of paint and new features like Cortana have been added to it, but it’s still the taskbar we all know and love.

While it’s great out of the box, you can make tweaks to get it looking and handling exactly how you want it. Want to add some icons or ditch the default ones? Maybe you want a splash of color? We’ve outlined these tips and more.

[7 Tips for Customizing the Windows 10 Taskbar]

Holograms Of Disabled People Appear To Stop Jerks from Parking in Handicapped Spots [Video]

More than 30% of the drivers in Russia take disabled parking spaces without caring about the signs on the ground. Dislife, a Russian non-profit organisation, came up with a powerful campaign to stop this inconsiderate behaviour. They installed projections of a real disabled person that popped up every time a non-disabled driver tried to park in their space. Special cameras verified the presence of the disabled sticker on their windshields and if no sticker was detected, the hologram would appear to confront the driver.

[Bird Strategy | Via Dorkly]