Free Drone Games by Joel Narlock Page B

and Pirelli International, I welcome you, the modern-day conquerors who have left your own research wars to be with us this evening.
    “One of you will indeed enjoy triumph. Not by means of a victory over a traditional enemy, but rather a victory over technology. You are here not by chance but by skill, dedication, and, most important, design. We at Pirelli believe that design excellence must be recognized and rewarded on a world scale.
    “As you know, the Pirelli Award favors a diverse scientific culture and is a further testament to research and development, especially when humanity benefits from new ideas and technologies. Our international jury has evaluated over one thousand entries and culled them down to you, a select group of conquerors. I should also mention, while it’s not a guarantee, all six previous winners went on to a certain Scandinavian capital to solidify their achievement in science. But such triumph tends to arrive suddenly with much fanfare and leave just as unexpectedly. Cherish this moment and remember: all glory is fleeting.”
    Three giant overhead screens lowered, framing the room.
    Carlo turned to a group of nine men seated at a table off-stage to his left. “Has the jury made a selection?”
    “We have,” responded Ilya Frigogine, jury coordinator and former Nobel Laureate for Chemistry. He approached the stage and transferred an envelope.
    Carlo calmly sipped water from a stemmed goblet before breaking the seal. He took another agonizingly long ten seconds to examine the contents and then placed the envelope onto the podium. He smiled at the head table.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, as part of a manned mission to Mars—” Robertson buried his face in his hands “—planned for a future United States NASA endeavor, I present to you a truly wonderful and revolutionary device that can operate beyond the boundaries of atmosphere. One with the ability to both fly and crawl. It is my privilege to announce that this year’s winner of the Pirelli Award for best new technology in any school, college, university, or research center worldwide is . . . the Entomopter drone, created by Professor Michael Robertson and his team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.”
    The room erupted. Guests rose to their feet. Media cameras whirred as the overhead screens showed animation video of two mechanical creatures fluttering above a terrain rover that was rolling across the Martian landscape. Each creature alternatively set down on a platform on top of the rover and picked up a slender tube before flying off.
    Still seated, his skin prickling with excitement, Robertson opened his eyes. He never felt Linda shaking his arm and shoulder almost violently.
    News correspondents hurried forward.
    Temporarily blinded by the spotlights now trained on him, Robertson’s walk to the podium felt dreamlike. Unbelievably, he had completely forgotten about his stomach. Adrenaline was apparently a great antacid.
    Carlo presented Robertson with a mahogany plaque fitted with a large gold medallion. After an admiring glance, Robertson set it aside and waved to the crowd appreciatively.
    The video screens now showed a field-level view from inside Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd football stadium. A pony-tailed technician stood on the midfield grass, extending one arm. The drone appeared and gently set down like some trained mechanical parrot. Bending at the knees, the man heaved it skyward like a falconer. It sailed through the air toward the end zone, passing between the goalposts. Circling back, it deftly perched sideways on one of the uprights.
    The audience applause grew to a crescendo.
    Robertson produced his glasses and notes. The audience sat.
    “Thank you, Carlo. I want to express my appreciation to the members of the jury, the Pirelli family, our Italian hosts, my distinguished colleagues, my wife, Linda, and especially the other finalists and their respective teams who also put forth tremendous effort and