Engineers have developed SUPER, a high-speed MAV, using 3D LiDAR and AI for real-time obstacle avoidance, cutting failure rates 35.9 times.
Category: drones – Page 4
Drone show accidents highlight the challenges of maintaining safety in what engineers call “multiagent systems” — systems of multiple coordinated, collaborative, and computer-programmed agents, such as robots, drones, and self-driving cars.
Now, a team of MIT engineers has developed a training method for multiagent systems that can guarantee their safe operation in crowded environments. The researchers found that once the method is used to train a small number of agents, the safety margins and controls learned by those agents can automatically scale to any larger number of agents, in a way that ensures the safety of the system as a whole.
Researchers tested whether one person could command a robot swarm of drones and ground vehicles in complex missions.
Now, thanks to a brain implant, he’s experienced the thrill in a simulation. By picturing finger movements in his mind, the 69-year-old flew a virtual drone in a video game, with the quadcopter dodging obstacles and whizzing through randomly appearing rings in real time.
T5 is part of the BrainGate2 Neural Interface System clinical trial, which launched in 2009 to help paralyzed people control computer cursors, robotic arms, and other devices by decoding electrical activity in their brains. It’s not just for gaming. Having the ability to move and click a cursor gets them back online. Googling, emailing, streaming shows, scrolling though social media posts—what able-bodied people spend hours on every day—are now again part of their lives.
But cursors can only do so much. Popular gaming consoles—PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch—require you to precisely move your fingers, especially thumbs, fast and in multiple directions.
When I saw the introduction of this game, the word “edutainment” popped up in my mind. It definitely turns coding into a more fun, satisfying activity.
“Use real Python code to automate machines, robots, drones and more: Program self-driving vehicles; crack passwords; apply machine learning; automate logistics; use image processing to guide missiles,” the description of JOY OF PROGRAMMING — Software Engineering Simulator reads.
There are various levels that are ready in the game, whose goals, mandatory or optional ones, can be solved with different valid solutions. When finishing the levels, you’ll gain stars, which are used to unlock new programming features.
Unleash 2025 with Archibald Montgomery Low’s visionary spark—where drones, TV, and rocket bikes foretold a future we’re only just embracing.
What is embodied AI?
Posted in drones, robotics/AI
Embodied AI enables robots and autonomous drones to interact with the real world, but how does it work?
Researchers at Australia’s Monash University are using a common medicine cabinet antiseptic in unique battery chemistry that could soon power drones and other electric aircraft, according to a school news release.
The team is tapping Betadine, a common brand name for a topical medication used to treat cuts and other wounds, in research garnering surprising results.
“… We found a way to accelerate the charge and discharge rates, making them a viable battery option for real-world heavy-duty use,” paper first author and doctoral student Maleesha Nishshanke said in the release.
British soldiers have successfully trialled for the first time a game-changing weapon that can take down a swarm of drones using radio waves for less than the cost of a pack of mince pies.
The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) development system can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea.
RFDEWs are capable of neutralising targets up to 1km away with near instant effect and at an estimated cost of 10p per shot fired, providing a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-base air defence systems.
RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments) (Image: © Alain Herzog CC BY SA) EPFL researchers have built a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs, greatly expanding the range of potential environments accessible to unmanned aerial vehicles.