Taking a cue from how eagles work, the researchers believe that diving drones can make for drones that weigh less and use less power, using acceleration velocity gained from diving to quickly regain altitude. It may even be possible to build drones that perch. The drone is lightweight: the quadrotor and the gripper-claw combined weigh less than a pound and a half. The drones could be used in rescue operations where speed and time are critical, and in operations requiring [an unmanned aerial vehicle] to quickly swoop down and pick up an object of interest.