The University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Lab, has been working on getting groups of the robots to fly together in formation. Just like with a formation of fighter jets, there’s a leader robot in each squad along with several follower robots. The followers have just two jobs: follow the leader, and preserve the shape of the formation.
Category Archives: Research
UAS Rodeo in the UAE – First Winners
A team from Dubai Men’s College has won the first of the UAE’s Unmanned Air Systems Rodeo. The awards ceremony was held at the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training Dhabi (CERT) in Abu Dhabi.
Yale Grab Labs Develops Stable Gripping Device for Unmanned Helicopters
The clever chaps at Yale University Grab Labs have developed a robot helicopter integrated with a compliant gripper, able to directly grasp and transport objects while hovering in mid-air outdoors, without need for external motion sensors.
US Air Force Wants ‘Smart Dust’ from UAS to Tag Targets
As part of the us Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Programme, the Air Force Research Laboratory calls for a proposal on the ‘Aerial Distribution of Taggants‘.
India Develops Domestic UCAV Programme
India’s Defence Research and Development Organization told the Times of India recently that the aim of the secretive AURA (autonomous unmanned research aircraft) programme is to develop a UCAV for the Indian Air Force in seven to eight years.
MIT : Mini-UAS to Navigate Dense Urban and Natural Environments
A multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI) led by MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Associate Professor, Russ Tedrake, will bring together a diverse group of researchers to develop a bird-sized UAS, thanks to an Office of Naval Research Grant. The vehicle will be capable of navigating both urban and forest environments using vision-based control.
NASA – Next Generation Aircraft Design Using Revolutionary Materials
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has just published a fascinating presentation by Dr. Charles E. Harris, P.E., Director of the Research Directorate at the NASA Langley Research Center, on the possibilities for future aircraft design unleashed by the use of revolutionary new materials.
$500 K for MAV Autopilot Simulator Research
Jackson State University computer engineering professor Kamal Ali has been awarded a research grant worth $517,062 from the U.S. Department of Defense for a three-year-project to build a simulator to test MAV autopilots.