Self-driving cars might be all the rage these days, but what about the poor computer-piloted drones? Well, while no-one’s been looking, they’ve been perfecting the aerial version of the patented Italian Job getaway. A team of researchers at the German Aerospace Center were looking for a way to lighten the payload of a solar-powered UAV, in order to extend its range. The landing gear is an obvious candidate to go—the wheels and gear don’t just weigh a lot, they also cause serious drag, all of which lowers the potential time a drone can spend aloft.
