With the newest James Bond movie premiering in theaters today, the legendary agent once again makes headlines. But despite his infamous high-tech gadgets, Agent 007 is still no match for the Israel Defense Forces. Here are three brilliant gadgets Agent Bond only wishes the Q Branchcould give him.
1. The VIPER (Versatile, Intelligent, Portable Robot)
This portable, lightweight robot was designed specifically for urban guerrilla warfare. Its special wheel system can literally change shape, so VIPER knows how to climb stairs, scale rocky terrain, or crawl into tiny spaces. It’s equipped with several day-and-night cameras, microphones, a GPS system and an array of sensors that can detect chemicals, gases, explosives and radiation.
VIPER is controlled with a gaming-style controller and a helmet-mounted display, giving the operator the ability to see everything from a safe distance. It can also be equipped with a robotic arm, a mini-Uzi gun and even a grenade launcher.
If James Bond had it? It’s almost like having another agent in the field — running, fighting, and saving the civilized world. All it lacks is the snark and the dapper suit.
The VIPER combat drone. Photo: Elbit
2. The EyeDrive
The EyeDrive is an all-terrain, all-weather surveillance robot specially designed for urban warfare, anti-terror and search-and-rescue missions. It doesn’t break. Ever.
The EyeDrive can simply be thrown into buildings or dropped from the height of three meters without any damage. Day-and-night cameras supply the operator with a real-time 360° field of vision that can even tilt and zoom. Its special Video Motion Detection software provides automatic alerts based on movement or sound. Amazingly enough, it weighs in at just under eight pounds — easily stowed in a suave suitcase.
If James Bond had it? No recon mission would be too hard, no evil lair would be too heavily guarded. With the EyeDrive on his side, bad guys everywhere should start shivering in their black leather seats.
3. The Skylark Drone
A drone — that would be a regular-sized unmanned plane, right? Wrong. Meet the Skylark I-LE — small, lightweight, and practically unnoticeable. It’s light enough to be carried by one person and can be set up to fly in less than 8 minutes. Skylark boasts 3 hours of flight-time with a live video feed, day and night, in any weather condition. It’s quiet as a mouse with the eyes of a hawk. Quickly deployed and quickly recovered. They’ll never even know we were there.
If James Bond had it? As an agent in MI6, intelligence-gathering is obviously a top priority for Bond. And while it won’t render the human element useless, this stealth-machine will definitely change the field where visual intel is concerned. Eat your heart out, Q.
The Skylark drone ready to fly. Stealth is key.
