New Algorithm Flies Drones Faster Than World-Class Human Racing Pilots
To be useful, drones need to be quick. Because of their limited battery life, they must complete whatever task they have — searching for survivors…
Drones
New MIT Algorithm Helps Robots Collaborate to Get the Job Done
Algorithm enables robot teams to complete missions, such as mapping or search-and-rescue, with minimal wasted effort. Sometimes, one robot isn’t enough. Consider a search-and-rescue mission…
First People in the US to Experience Drone Delivery Give It a Seal of Approval
The week of Thanksgiving last year, a postcard arrived in mailboxes in Christiansburg. A link to a survey was on the back. On the front,…
Insect-Inspired Flying Robots: Researchers Introduce a New Generation of Tiny, Agile Drones
The technology could boost aerial robots’ repertoire, allowing them to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions. If you’ve ever swatted a mosquito away from…
U.S. Army Developed Algorithms Improve Quadrotor Drone Performance
Researchers develop algorithms to enable drones to quickly switch between hover and forward flight. When an aircraft veers upwards too much, the decrease in lift…
ABOVE & Beyond: New Drone Technology Improves Ability to Forecast Volcanic Eruptions
Specially-adapted drones developed by a University College London-led international team have been gathering data from never-before-explored volcanoes that will enable local communities to better forecast…
Raptor-Inspired Drone With Morphing Wing and Tail for Unprecedented Flight Agility
EPFL engineers have developed a drone with a feathered wing and tail that give it unprecedented flight agility. The northern goshawk is a fast, powerful…
Just by Listening to Echoes, A Drone Can Determine the Shape of a Room
Imagine a loudspeaker is placed in a room with a few microphones. When the loudspeaker emits a sound impulse, the microphones receive several delayed responses…
Smarter UAVs Fall Into Formation
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are getting smarter with the help of an international team of researchers. They developed a way for multiple UAVS to fall…
“Dangerous Close Encounters” – Skilled Aircraft Pilots Usually Cannot Spot an Encroaching Drone
Skilled pilots approaching a runway usually can’t see small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) encroaching on their airspace, and they virtually never detect motionless drones, a…
New Low-Power Chip Will Help Miniature Drones Navigate
Researchers at MIT, who last year designed a tiny computer chip tailored to help honeybee-sized drones navigate, have now shrunk their chip design even further,…
MIT Engineers Develop Autonomous “Selfie Drone”
If you’re a rock climber, hiker, runner, dancer, or anyone who likes recording themselves while in motion, a personal drone companion can now do all…
JPL Develops A.I. Piloted Drones for Race Against Human Pilot
JPL engineers put together a drone race to find which is faster – a drone operated by a human or one operated by artificial intelligence….
Drones Could Save Retailers Billions Lost Through Faulty Inventory Records
Engineers from MIT have developed a system that enables small, safe, aerial drones to read RFID tags in large warehouses at a distance of several…
New Chip Design Method May Result in Miniature Smart Drones
A team of engineers at MIT has developed a method for designing efficient computer chips may get miniature smart drones off the ground. In recent…
Researchers Plan to Explore Titan with a Nuclear Powered Drone
Brigham Young University geologist Jani Radebaugh, alongside researchers from NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory, has put forth a plan that would send a done…
Australia Stops Sea Shepherd From Using Drones
Back in December, Sea Shepherd was using drones to track the Japanese whaling fleet, giving them an edge in stopping illegal whaling, but now the…
Anti-Whaling Activists Use Drone to Track Japanese Fleet
If you have ever watched the TV Show Whale Wars, then you know that the activists who are out there on the seas often have…