A 3D-printed drone was recently launched from a British military warship and successfully flew to shore, a demonstration that could pave the way for futuristic spy drones that can be printed at sea.
Engineers at the University of Southampton, in the United Kingdom, built the unmanned aircraft using 3D printing, which has been used to create everything from pelvic implants to a prosthetic tortoise shell. The drone was launched off the front of the Royal Navy warship HMS Mersey. It flew approximately 1,640 feet (500 meters) in just a few minutes, and landed safely on a beach in Dorset, England, the researchers said.