April 17, 2020

Drones on the Front Lines


Drones on the Front Lines
What a cute little guy! Perfect for quarantine enforcement. U.S. Air Force, Public Domain

Every day we inch closer to living in a science-fiction film.

Entrepreneurs at the Russian Venture Company reported that tests are underway to determine the effectiveness of coronavirus-fighting-by-drone. Drones could be used throughout Russia in the near future to deliver medical supplies, disinfect streets, provide information to citizens, and generally monitor the streets during quarantine, like little robotic vigilantes.

The problem, it seems, is air traffic control. Current tests, conducted in Tver Oblast, focus on providing each drone enough airspace in which to operate without colliding with another drone. Working out this problem would allow for a new front in the fight against the pandemic.

Frankly, the possibility of seeing some cute little flying Robocops in the future has us tickled. And scared too, of course.

 

You Might Also Like

30: Science Fictions
  • April 01, 2015

30: Science Fictions

An eclectic sampler of some of the best scifi produced during the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. From scientific experiments gone wrong, to space travel, utopianism and social experimentation, this collection has it all.  
18: Other Worlds
  • April 01, 2012

18: Other Worlds

This issue focuses on the rich array of worlds we populate, from those immediately apparent to those less obvious. Selections include everything from science fiction to poetry to fiction centered in Central Asia and Khrushchev's Moscow.  
Red Star Tales: A Century of Russian and Soviet Science Fiction
  • October 15, 2015

Red Star Tales: A Century of Russian and Soviet Science Fiction

For over 100 years, most of the science fiction produced by the world’s largest country has been beyond the reach of Western readers. This new collection changes that, bringing a large body of influential works into the English orbit. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955