A technological demonstration from China recently presented the power of super drones that track objects and people with high precision. The remote-powered vehicles, developed by scholars from Zhejiang University, were deployed into a thick bamboo forest to test their capabilities.
A video released by the researchers shows that the drones maneuvered effectively over the complex obstacles of the forest. The demonstration of the machines creeped out many audiences, as the precision and navigation of the drones exceeded far more than those of the technologies we see today.
Drone Swarm Testings by China's Zhejiang University
The drone swarm experiment was led by experts from China's Zhejiang University. The flight of the autonomous vehicles was seemingly taken directly from a science fiction movie.
The performance of the drones was heavily close to how crafts move in films. The authors even cited parallels of their work with motion pictures such as Star Wars and Prometheus.
Zheinjang's State Key Laboratory of Industrial Control and Technology specialist Xin Zhou, who also led the study, explained that the machines they developed serve as a 'step forward to the future.'
Drones could be utilized in many real-world applications such as aerial mapping and emergency activities. The autonomous vehicles provide safety for human experts and effective functions in works related to conservation and disaster.
However, the programs equipped with these controlled machines should be at their best to ensure the adaptability of the drones in any environment they are deployed to while meeting public safety during operations. By upscaling the systems in the drones, the application would be more effective and include lesser casualties such as unwanted crashes to obstacles and to other drones.
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Future of Drone Swarms
Drone swarms, or a collective flight of autonomous vehicles, are still being developed up to this date. Perfecting the maneuver is quite tricky, even for many experienced drone pilots.
Drone swarm settings are usually conducted with open areas clear from any obstacle or pre-programmed terrains that make it easier for drones to evade, says Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne robotics specialist Enrica Soria, who was not involved in the study, in an AFP report.
The research was the first to test drone swarms successfully in a non-customized outdoor setup, particularly in the wild, Soria continued.
The flying vehicles were built with palm-sized structures equipped with high-resolution imaging devices, altitude sensors, and onboard computer chips for control. According to a report by the Daily Star, the most impressive feature of the drones was its program that allows flight efficiency, collision avoidance, and precise swarming coordination.
The Zhejiang super drones do not rely on conventional location guides such as GPS so that it could move across areas even amidst natural disasters and other remote situations. Other capabilities of the swarm are to lift and transport heavy objects collectively.
The authors found stunning results when the drones were tested in various scenarios such as in high-traffic areas, a bamboo forest, and even human tracking, Science Alert reports.
The study was published in the journal Science Robotics, titled "Swarm of micro flying robots in the wild."
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