Ford's flying battery drones could jump start your dead car
Ford patent reveals new rescue technology
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ford is thinking about building an air force.
The automaker has received a patent for an innovative technology that could make your AAA card obsolete.
It describes a way to use a swarm of quadricopter drones to jump start a gasoline-powered car's dead battery without having to send a service truck.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The patent depicts a "plurality of drones" equipped with batteries and robotic arms working in concert to connect to the battery.
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Ford's drone technology could jump start a dead battery. (Ford)
One designated master drone leads the fleet to the disabled vehicle, where it can remotely unlock and open a power hood.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It then uses a camera and sensors to coordinate the drones connecting to the battery and each other in order to deliver power to the vehicle the same way a set of jumper cables would.
The drones are equipped with robotic arms. (Ford)
The instructions for how to do that could be stored in each individual car itself, or provided to the drones from a central command server.
According to the patent, first reported on by Barron's, this system could be used to assist both human operated and fully autonomous vehicles.
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Ford hasn't confirmed any plans to put the patent to use, but has recently filed for several involving drone technology.
The Ford F-150 Lightning features a power-opening hood. (Fox News Autos)
One features a drone that's installed in the glove compartment or trunk of an autonomous car that could be used to inspect a vehicle and identify damage that needs repair.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}What Ford hasn't come up with is a drone that can fix a broken drone.
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At least it doesn't have a patent for that yet.