Swarming Drones Autonomously Navigate a Dense Forest (techcrunch.com) 15
Chinese researchers show off a swarm of drones collectively navigating a dense forest they've never encountered. TechCrunch reports: Researchers at Zheijang University in Hangzhou have succeeded, however, with a 10-strong drone swarm smart enough to fly autonomously through a dense, unfamiliar forest, but small and light enough that each one can easily fit in the palm of your hand. It's a big step toward using swarms like this for things like aerial surveying and disaster response.
Based on an off-the-shelf ultra-compact drone design, the team built a trajectory planner for the group that relies entirely on data from the onboard sensors of the swarm, which they process locally and share with each other. The drones can balance or be directed to pursue various goals, such as maintaining a certain distance from obstacles or each other, or minimizing the total flight time between two points, and so on.
The drones can also, worryingly, be given a task like "follow this human." We've all seen enough movies to know this is how it starts ... but of course it could be useful in rescue or combat circumstances as well. A part of their navigation involves mapping the world around them, of course, and the paper includes some very cool-looking 3D representations of the environments the swarm was sent through. Zhou et alThe study is published in the most recent issue of the journal Science Robotics, which you can read here, along with several videos showing off the drones in action.
Based on an off-the-shelf ultra-compact drone design, the team built a trajectory planner for the group that relies entirely on data from the onboard sensors of the swarm, which they process locally and share with each other. The drones can balance or be directed to pursue various goals, such as maintaining a certain distance from obstacles or each other, or minimizing the total flight time between two points, and so on.
The drones can also, worryingly, be given a task like "follow this human." We've all seen enough movies to know this is how it starts ... but of course it could be useful in rescue or combat circumstances as well. A part of their navigation involves mapping the world around them, of course, and the paper includes some very cool-looking 3D representations of the environments the swarm was sent through. Zhou et alThe study is published in the most recent issue of the journal Science Robotics, which you can read here, along with several videos showing off the drones in action.
What if (Score:2)
a tree fell?
Re: (Score:2)
"a tree fell?" ...and no drone to hear it since they don't have microphones?
At least they can film the bear shitting in the wood.
Swarm Intercommunication (Score:3)
Swarming tank and AFV killers. (Score:2)
Swarms could do recon, spot for external systems, and even kill vehicles and other targets in the most tactically useful sequence to herd enemy forces into kill zones or away from areas to be seized.
They'd be terrific for wars like Ukraine where large areas are in play but many limit ground mobility. Swarms could fly over marshes and wetlands to strike.
Re: (Score:2)
The inherent problem with small drones is low flight times. They are not very useful for recon as a result. That's why we use fixed-wing drones to do that job. Little copters are very useful for close-range recon, but not very useful for large-area recon. Swarms of drones are thus going to be useful mostly as weapons.
They'd be terrific for wars like Ukraine where large areas are in play but many limit ground mobility. Swarms could fly over marshes and wetlands to strike.
Yes, exactly. We're going to need man-portable point defense systems to defend against them. Toy technology is going to absolutely change the face of warfare.
Re: (Score:1)
Absolutely. "Drone" swarms may not be able to do much to a tank or other armored vehicle, for example, but, could wreak havoc on the ground troops supporting them. They could also be useful in making life very difficult for helicopters and other types of aircraft trying to maintain air superiority over a contested area. Think suicide drones, cheap, expendable, and can pop up out of nowhere.
Re: (Score:2)
Explosives and projectiles enough to kill a human can be a bit big, especially considering helmets and a moving target, but equipping micro drones with syringes and a few millilitres of fentanyl juice can be plenty lethal when homing in on warm body parts. Also, who needs lethal when you can equip also dose Russian soldiers with enough sedative and LSD for a very good time, so they won't even mind being picked up.
Re: (Score:1)
Great idea! LOL
Let's not kid ourselves (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a big step toward using swarms like this for things like aerial surveying and disaster response.
We all know this is developed for military applications first and anything else is a byproduct.
Tour de France (Score:2)
It's a big step toward using swarms like this for things like aerial surveying and disaster response.
We all know this is developed for military applications first and anything else is a byproduct.
If I understand you correctly, as soon as these things show up giving us amazing camera angles at the Tour de France, doing away with the motorcycle cameras, we'll then have confirmation lethality has also already been achieved.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
All it needs... (Score:2)
... is some Boston Dynamics Atlases following them up smashing their way through the trees to have brought star wars to reality.
Bot warfare could be nicer. (Score:2)
Have a few waves of micro drones sweep through an area with syringes and happy juice, then have big bots come in after to neutralize anyone still moving, and handcuff those who aren't. Once this strategy is well known, soldiers will want to get hit by the mosquito bots because it sure beats being alone when the big uglies roll through and ask why you aren't sleeping.