A remote control flying saucer that promises to spot snipers in battles, scour the coast line for people in sea trouble and help famers maintain their land, has been shown off at a tech day in Cambridge.

Mark Broughton from GFS said its UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) will cost in the low tens of thousands of pounds, which rules it out as my birthday present. It is very good value for money when you compare it to hiring a helicopter though, which costs thousands of pounds per hour.

And as such, these things could be flying all over the country in the near future. Combined with simple cameras, farmers could use them to spot dry patches in their fields and go and water them. Coast gaurds could use them to spot people in distress and the police could use them to photograph crime scenes quickly and effectively.

It will be entering the Ministry of Defence's upcoming Grand Challenge that pits new warfare technology against each other, with a sizable contract possibly awaiting the best entries.

The battery powered saucer (pictured) can last 90 seconds, but upcoming combustion engine ones can last an hour.