????谷歌（Google）并不是唯一一家靠收購殺入機器人大戰的科技公司。據科技網站TechCrunch報道，Facebook目前正在與一家太陽能高空無人機廠家Titan Aerospace接洽。這家公司生產的無人機能夠在高空執行任務長達五年，中間無需落地加油。這正好是用來向世界欠發達地區提供互聯網接口的理想載體，也是Facebook最有可能招攬來“下一個十億用戶”的平臺。

????Facebook拒絕對此事發表評論，公司一名代表在寫給《財富》的一封電子郵件中稱此事只是“傳言和推測”。不過如果傳言是真的，那么Facebook可能很快就能利用Titan Aerospace的技術，在全球網絡不發達地區對谷歌和各大移動運營商形成強有力的挑戰（Facebook公司CEO馬克?扎克伯格也認為這些互聯網發展滯后的第三世界國家將是Facebook下一個巨大的增長機會）。只要11000架Titan無人機，就可以在高空中向這些地區覆蓋足夠的信號，讓所有接觸不到互聯網的人都感受到網絡的方便與快捷。如果Facebook擁有了這些無人機，那么我們可以很自然地推測，這些國家和地區的人們無疑會用上Facebook的社交網絡以及它最近剛剛收購的WhatsApp來跟人聯系。

????這個理念與谷歌氣球計劃大同小異。谷歌的做法是用高空氣象氣球搭載相關設備，讓它充當一個大型的懸空Wi-Fi信號源。目前，谷歌正在南太平洋測試這種“氣球陣”網絡。但是Titan的技術可能在好幾個方面都比谷歌的“氣球陣”更理想。首先Titan的無人機比起一般的高空飛行器更像一種低軌道的衛星（甚至連這家公司自己都稱它們是“大氣層中的衛星”），而且它的載重量很可觀，還可以飛行相當長的時間。

????其次，與傳統飛行器不同，這家公司的Solara　50和Solara　60型太陽能無人機不需要經常著陸加油。它們機身上的電池會在白天儲存足夠的能量，支撐無人機度過夜晚，而且這兩型無人機分別有著70磅和250磅的載重量。另外，無人機不像衛星和熱氣球，它可以迅速改變位置，到達需要的地方進行覆蓋。由于它可以飛到海平面以上10英里的高度，也就是對流層頂部，因此不用擔心它們受到氣流、天氣和民用航空器的影響。另外，它的高度也超過了國際大多數航空管制規定的范疇（比如美國聯邦航空局的高度管理上限大約是60,000英尺）。

????另外，如果這筆收購是真的，Facebook在此時收購Titan也是一個正確的時機。目前Titan還是一家私人公司（它在華盛頓和紐約市都有辦事處，但它的研發工作主要是在新墨西哥州的墨里亞蒂），資金主要來自種子基金。而且，雖然它已經通過試飛證明了自己的技術，但是Solara 50還要等到今年年底才有可能投入商用，Solara 60則至少要等到明年。Titan公司高層去年8月在華盛頓舉辦的世界最大的無人機展會接受《財富》采訪時，幾位高級工程師強調，他們的目標是生產價格在200萬美元以下、且便于操作和養護的無人機，而且他們差不多已經準備好試飛了，只不過當時還沒有。

????Google isn't the only web giant buying its way into the robotics game, or the ubiquitous global Internet game, for that matter. According to TechCrunch, Facebook is in talks to buy Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-flying, solar powered drone aircraft capable of staying aloft for up to five years without ever having to land or refuel -- ideal platforms for beaming Internet to remote regions of the world where Facebook's "next billion" are currently waiting to be plugged into the web.

????If the rumors are true -- Facebook declined to comment on what a representative termed "rumors and speculation" in an email to Fortune -- Facebook (FB) could soon leverage Titan's technology to challenge everyone from Google (GOOG) to mobile carriers in parts of the world where Internet is scarce (and where CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees Facebook's next big growth opportunity). A fleet of 11,000 Titan aircraft could loiter in the sky high above remote regions providing enough signal to connect populations below with the rest of the world. And if Facebook owns the drones, it stands to reason those people will be connecting through platforms like Facebook's eponymous social network or recent acquisition WhatsApp.

????The concept is very similar to Google's Project Loon, which is currently testing a network of high-flying weather balloons acting as overhead Internet hubs for remote regions in the South Pacific. But Titan's technology could trump Google's in several aspects. Titan's aircraft are more like low-flying satellites than high-flying aircraft (in fact the company refers to them as "atmospheric satellites"), capable of carrying a whole lot of payload for long periods of time.

????Unlike conventional aircraft, the solar-powered Solara 50 and Solara 60 don't have to regularly land to refuel -- onboard batteries store enough energy during the day to power the aircraft through the night (as well as enough to power 70 pounds and 250 pounds of payload, respectively). Unlike satellites and balloons, they can be rapidly repositioned to provide coverage where needed. If something goes wrong, they can land for repairs and relaunch rapidly -- something far more difficult for balloons and impossible for satellites. Flying in an atmospheric sweet spot roughly 10 miles above sea level known as the tropopause, the aircraft are generally untroubled by winds, weather, commercial air traffic, and most international aviation regulations (the FAA, for example, stops regulating air traffic at roughly 60,000 feet).

????Moreover, if the acquisition proves real, Facebook could be getting Titan at just the right time. Thus far privately held Titan (the company has offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, but runs its research and development out of Moriarty, N.M.) has supported itself through seed funding, and while it has demonstrated its technology in test flights, the Solara 50 and Solara 60 won't be ready for commercial service until later this year and next year, respectively. When Fortune spoke to Titan leadership in August at the world's biggest drone confab in Washington, D.C., senior engineers stressed that their focus is on producing a sub-$2 million aircraft that is simple to operate and maintain and that they were almost ready to put one in the sky, though they hadn't -- yet.