Category Archives: Research

Stanford Engineers Create Perching Bird-Like Robot

Like snowflakes, no two branches are alike. They can differ in size, shape and texture; some might be wet or moss-covered or bursting with offshoots. And yet birds can land on just about any of them. This ability was of great interest to the labs of Stanford University engineers Mark Cutkosky and David Lentink – now at University of Groningen in the Netherlands – which have both developed technologies inspired by animal abilities. Continue reading

Flying High-Speed Drones into the Unknown with AI

When it comes to exploring complex and unknown environments such as forests, buildings or caves, drones are hard to beat. They are fast, agile and small, and they can carry sensors and payloads virtually everywhere. However, autonomous drones can hardly find their way through an unknown environment without a map. For the moment, expert human pilots are needed to release the full potential of drones. Continue reading

IEA: Using Drones to Identify Underperforming Solar Plants

Oliver Kunz testing PV Power Plant in Australia

The International Energy Agency (IEA) Photovoltaic (PV) Power System Programme, has released a comprehensive PV inspection methods report, showcasing a number of innovations used to inspect PV onsite with portable test equipment – such as the use of infrared inspection with drones. Continue reading

Drones and Facial Recognition Tech to help save Australia’s koalas

In Adelaide, South Australia, a Flinders University College of Science and Engineering research project with conservation charity Koala Life and the State Government is developing non-invasive koala monitoring techniques with drones and a special facial recognition software program to count, identify and re-identify koalas in wild populations. Continue reading