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"I am first of all not a science fiction writer … I write, I suppose, what the Latin Americans call magic realism."
- Harlan Ellison
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| Hawk Anti-Drone | ||
| An autonomous unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designed to seek and destroy other UAVs. |
When the watchbirds become too troublesome, the hawks come to the rescue.
| "The Hawks are especially built to hunt down watchbirds. They're stronger, faster, and they've got better armor..."
"But anything the watchbirds can do, the Hawks can do better," Macintyre said cheerfully. "The Hawks have special learning circuits for hunting. They're more flexible than the watchbirds. They learn faster..." "All I know is that the Hawks are self-controlled. So were the watchbirds. Remote control would have been too slow, the argument went on. The idea was to get the watchbirds and get them fast. That meant no restricting circuits."
 (Hawk from 'Watchbird' by Robert Sheckley) "We can dope something out," Macintyre said uncertainly. "You've got an aggressive machine up in the air now. A murder machine. Before that it was an anti-murder machine. Your next gadget will have to be even more self-sufficient, won't it?" |
| Technovelgy from Watchbird,
by Robert Sheckley. Published by Galaxy in 1953 Additional resources -
|
The Hawks were designed as an anti-watchbird weapon:
The watchbird was operating erratically now. Many of its delicate parts were out of line, worn by almost continuous operation...
Simultaneously, it became aware of something overhead. The watchbird wheeled to meet it.
There was a sharp crackle and a power bolt whizzed by the watchbird's wing. Angrily, it spat a shock wave.
The attacker was heavily insulated. Again it spat at the watchbird. This time, a bolt smashed through a wing. The watchbird darted away, but the attacker went after it in a burst of speed, throwing out more crackling power. .
The watchbird fell...
(Hawk from 'Watchbird' by Robert Sheckley)
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from Watchbird
More Ideas
and Technology by Robert Sheckley
Tech news articles related to Watchbird
Tech news articles related to works by Robert Sheckley
Hawk Anti-Drone-related
news articles:
- Iron Drone Raider Counter-UAV Operations
| Sleeper Drones Lie in Wait |
| Worm Disrupts Physics Simulations Undetected For A Decade |
| Moscow Attacked By Hundreds Of Drones |
| China's Handheld Electromagnetic Gun |
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'Space-sickness is one of the most unpleasant sensations that a human being can experience. Not all are subject to it...'
'...I saw a nice black heavy-looking cloud sailing by just now, and I can get the electrical machine out in five minutes to draw it down.'
'From a distance it could resolve the cosmic rays reflected from various substances.'
'The answer to the dumb student's prayer.'
'He had travelled the space-lanes of the solar system for the greater part of his life...'
'The dinner was excellent. It was completely vegetarian — grown in specially prepared gardens in this Moon base...'
'Telepaths had their sensitiveness enlarged to an immense range by the pin-sets, which were telepathic amplifiers adapted to the mammal mind.'
'It was a relief to enter one of the comfortable autos, whisper a direction down the tube, and just know that you would be taken to your destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest manner.'
'But he didn't get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts. George winced...'
