Ford patent depicts drones jump-starting cars with flat batteries

Drones are being used to inspect structures, deliver lunches, shuttle transplant organs, rush defibrillators to cardiac victims, and capture incredible first-person footage to thrill and entertain. Now the Ford Motor Company is looking to expand that list of UAV applications by cutting the waiting time for drivers with flat car batteries needing a jump start.

According to a patent application published Tuesday, Ford has created a scheme through which drivers stranded by spent batteries could be bailed out by drones providing a jump start. Of course, yanking a set of jumper cables out of the trunk and asking a helpful passing driver to resolve the problem would be faster and easier. But with most motorists forswearing that gear as too clutter-prone – and the selfless assistance of other people becoming an endangered quality – Ford is looking at an aerial alternative to the predicament.

Read: Apple receives drone controller connectivity…