A new Australian study found that methods of shepherding have a direct impact on animal welfare and in particular, farmers who use drones to herd their flock have less stressed sheep.
Category Archives: Research
Control System Helps Drones Team Up to Deliver Heavy Packages
A research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a modular solution for handling larger packages without the need for a complex fleet of drones of varying sizes. By allowing teams of small drones to collaboratively lift objects using an adaptive control algorithm, the strategy could allow a wide range of packages to be delivered using a combination of several standard-sized vehicles. Continue reading
Shape Shifting Drone Adapts to Cargo Size
Researchers from the Robotics Research Centre at the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad have unveiled a working prototype of a flexible drone that changes its shape to fit the size of package to be lifted. Continue reading
IMPLEMENTING U-SPACE – Scoping the UAS Community’s Current Perception
‘‘U-SPACE INSIGHT’’, an international survey on U-space is now online. It is being conducted in the framework of the AW-Drones Project, which is funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 Programme. The survey has been put together with the assistance of 23 subject matter experts with complementary expertise from Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands & Spain, and is available in 4 languages. Continue reading
Bees and Drones Team up to Find Landmines
Mines are still present in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and many countries through the world. Humanitarian demining is expensive, time consuming and presents high risks and threats. Besides well-developed techniques and procedures, use of biological methods is recommended. Existing bio-systems, including bee colonies, can be trained and used efficiently as standalone detection tools. Continue reading
NASA Microphone Detects Turbulence Hundreds of Miles Away
The HiDRON glider carries scientific instruments to the upper reaches of the atmosphere
Whether it’s in the wake vortex of airplanes taking off or in seemingly calm air, there are few issues more meddlesome to flight than turbulence. Not only can these “horizontal tornadoes” make air travel uncomfortable and possibly dangerous, but attempts to avoid them can consume large amounts of fuel. Researchers at NASA have developed technology to find these zones, and with some engineering ingenuity, they could revolutionize both flight planning and aeronautical research. Continue reading
MIT’s LaserFactory Fabricates Fully Functional Drones
A group from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) recently developed a new system to print functional, custom-made devices and robots, without human intervention. Their single system uses a three-ingredient recipe that lets users create structural geometry, print traces, and assemble electronic components like sensors and actuators. Continue reading
How to Keep Drones Flying When a Motor Fails
Robotics researchers at the University of Zurich show how onboard cameras can be used to keep damaged quadcopters in the air and flying stably – even without GPS. Continue reading