"the US military boffin apparat whose early-afternoon dining policy is strictly extramural" - you owe me a new keyboard.

"DARPA*, the US military boffin apparat whose early-afternoon dining policy is strictly extramural"

eh!?

Hving seen some of the Indoor RC planes capable of prop hanging I dont see perch and take off as being particulary Difficult. check youtube for the vids..

Zero landing speed is the normal landing method of every free flight competition model, only there its called a dethermalised landing.

However, its old news for suitable manned aircraft as well. The Fieseler F1i.156 Storch, a WW2 German observation and army liason plane, was well known for having this capability.

Given the whole sufficiently-advanced-technology thing I think it would be best if these devices were designed to look like gargoyles, combining effective performance in the field with totally freaking the hell out of anyone who saw them.

They would quickly become standard issue with the Goth Marines who I have just thought up but may actually be the best military unit ever.

Are we allowed to post hints, or do you want them to suffer?

Extramural - taking place outside the walls, a reference to outside the box?

So they have to dine outside the box? In the early afternoon? Lunch outside the box maybe, or afternoon tea outside the box?

Am I missing something? Or did you just mean that they go for lunch of site, maybe to a nearby pub?

"Lunch outside the box maybe"

So, what's confusing? They eat their lunches out of a lunch box, obviously.

.....sorry.

Out to lunch you fools!

Mars Bar Party?

Perhaps it will hang on to the side of a ship/antena mast/tank/water tower/fridge with a magnet and use a reverse pulse from an electromagnet to pop itself of again.

If it freely swivelled round the magnet it could stall nose up into the side of a near vertical surface target, gravity would turn it nose down. This would make camera orientation and subsequent re-launch easier if you could find an elevated ferous target.

First I had the vulture cos it looks like it stalled out to soon. Then I went for Paris cos I bet she swivels freely.

Try 'Out to Lunch'

I think it means they like to make use of the picnic tables outside.

"Mars Bar Party?"

You missed the Paris icon. I'll do it for you.....

Thanks for that - I now have to clear my partially masticated lunch from the depths of my keyboard.

If anyone is unaware of the term mars bar party, might I suggest you don't google it at work...

Steven R

"...with the Goth Marines who I have just thought up .."

The Goth Marines along with the Vampire Commandos are a long established division of the New Model Army Of The Undead. I've heard that it's easy to join but no one ever leaves.

(MIne's the long black leather one.)

hooray, what's next on the menu. CCTV cameras that can follow you around?

Isn't that a super-power of some Pokemon?

While I like the term, technically it's incorrect unless the 'bot in question is spewing water onto the target.

Gargoyles are, strictly speaking, ornamental drainspouts intended to divert rainwater from the foundations of the building on which they perch. The classic crouching-monster non-drainspout is properly called a "grotesque".

Perhaps the technique in question could be referred as "Batman" mode, if Warner Bros. will allow.

Balloons/zeppelin or Helicopters. Maybe they're not fast enough or there are range issues?

looking at the specs for the WASP

5km Line of sight range

45 minutes endurance

40-60 km/h (is this a dive speed?)

1lb, hand launched

Maybe they can strap a 1 time re-launch rocket on it after a perch landing?

I'm no flight engineer type, but I think regular electric? RC helicopters can do 30km/h with a 10min range on batteries... which is 5km one way? And these are just normal commercial RC jobs... Looks like the WASP can't fly fast and far on the same trip... (60 km/h * 45 min would be like 45 km so 20 out and 20 back is a lot longer than 5km range) I'd think a well done helicopter (gas maybe) would be a good competitor to this?

They might be a bit obvious if they looked like this one:

http://flickr.com/photos/84265607@N00/2111671283/

I'd love to see that one when it's raining...