One of the world’s leading defense companies is working on ways to chemically “grow” Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in special laboratories.
BAE systems recently announced plans to quickly build drones using a “Chemputer.” Researchers say the device would give military officials the ability to respond to emerging threats when existing aircraft are ill-equipped for the job.
Researchers with the University of Glasgow have teamed up with BAE Systems for the project.
“This is a very exciting time in the development of chemistry,” University of Glasgow Professor Lee Cronin said in the statement, Fox News reported Thursday. “We have been developing routes to digitize synthetic and materials chemistry and at some point in the future hope to assemble complex objects in a machine from the bottom up, or with minimal human assistance.”
BAE systems and its partners say it is reasonable to expect their efforts to bear fruit within the century.
“I’m confident that creative thinking and convergent digital technologies will eventually lead to the digital programming of complex chemical and material systems,” Dr. Cronin said.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.