How Harvard's Robobee nanodrone project is using the learning from real bees to improve the technology. Flexible wings that can handle collisions don't require as advanced sense-and-avoid skills.
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How Harvard's Robobee nanodrone project is using the learning from real bees to improve the technology. Flexible wings that can handle collisions don't require as advanced sense-and-avoid skills.
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The issue with flying in wooded areas is the trees themselves, which prevent good GPS, and are obstacles that could easily knock a aerial system out of the air. A pilot flying in these areas would potentially need to be an expert FPV pilot, capable of quickly dodging the wayward branch. A better option would be some level of autonomy, where an aerial system could avoid these dangers. Progress is being made on obstacle avoidance, but it is still in larger systems, and expensive.
Now, imagine instead a system that allows the pilot to set a general course of travel, and the aerial vehicle goes that way until told otherwise. It seems it would be easier to program a system to self right its course based on IMU and compass information after a collision. Put this into a frame designed to take a bump, like some of the smaller proximity FPV setups that have fully enclosed blades, or any of the globe-like frames I have seen too which essentially roll around the internals, and you have your system.
Alright, lets do this!
@ John, I really think that ship has already sailed.
@Gary. Ironically once we have safe to use bee sized drones with the capabilities you mention, it is also the moment the current privacy fears become a real problem.
Interesting future, no doubt. Really interesting are those that see and then attempt to solve the puzzles of nature.
According to Nature's article about small drones, bees also use their compound-eyes called ocellis to get sereophotogrammteric optic flow.
That is such an interesting topic, altough i personally think lidars will know more success, since contrary to insects our drones' brains will have the capability to process such accurate and important data.
In this world scale is everything, now all I have to do is figure out how to stuff in a 3D vision system, a 4K camera, a few thousand Pascal GPUs and a tiny battery or maybe better still SNAP generator.
Can't wait till the FAA starts trying to regulate bee sized drones.