Drones can now fly through forests at a speed that will make you sick. We have the images and an explanation of the technique.
Drones have become increasingly popular in recent years. Technology has also made great strides. Now there are drones that can race through the forests at more than 40 kilometers per hour thanks to a smart technique.
Drones fly fast through the forest
The drones can now fly through complex and unfamiliar environments at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour. This thanks to a new artificial intelligence approach developed at the University of Zurich. An algorithm first steered a computer-generated drone through a simulated environment with complex obstacles.
This data is then used to train the drone’s neural network. This is to predict a flight path based on information from sensors on board. The system was then tested in various real-world environments. Think of forests, collapsed buildings and derailed trains.
“Our approach is able to successfully navigate all the environments in which it has been tested, the team said in their research paper. “Note that our policy is trained in simulation and has never been exposed to any of these environments or conditions during training time.”
Technic
The approach and the technique developed with it has several advantages over other methods. Mapping sensory perceptions directly to flight trajectories reduces the latency (delay) of processing. The system also increases robustness against perturbations. Such as motion blur and missing data.
The team now wants to develop faster sensors that allow drones to fly safely at even higher speeds. Their approach can be useful in emergency situations and on construction sites. It also seems very suitable for detecting unwanted persons.
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