A sci-fi style drone that can catch up to a vehicle driving at 70 mph and clamp on has been unveiled.

Researchers say it is the first time drones have been able to land safely on moving vehicles at such speeds.

The DART (Direct Approach Rapid Touchdown) dive-bombs at the target, reverse thrusts on approach and then lands safely on shock absorbers.

The Createk Research Lab at Canada's University of Sherbrooke say the high-speed dive counters fast winds, allowing for a controlled touchdown.

The devices could be used for covert operations or deliver items to vehicles without them having to stop or slow down.

A paper published in the Journal of Field Robotics says: "This innovation is a key step toward enabling new applications for UAVs, including last-mile delivery, collaborative missions with ground/water vehicles to have an eye in the sky, or for drones to hitch rides on a truck to save energy!"

A total of 38 experimental trials were conducted where a drone successfully landed on a pickup truck moving at speeds ranging from 6 to 68 mph.

The increased touchdown envelope was shown to improve the multirotors' robustness to external disturbances such as winds and wind gusts, sensor errors and unpredictable motion of the ground vehicle.