This is the first time a swarm of drones has successfully flown through an unstructured environment and in the wild, they note.
Theoretically, there are many applications that help drones navigate unstructured space, based on aerial photography data, for example. But this technology was poorly developed.
Swarms of drones have previously been tested, but either in an openenvironment without obstacles, or the location of all obstacles was known in advance, said Enrica Soria, a robotics specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
The authors used small robots the size ofpalm, which specially added depth cameras, height sensors and an on-board computer. According to the authors, their main achievement is a well-thought-out algorithm that includes collision avoidance, increased flight efficiency and coordination within the swarm.
These unmanned aerial vehicles are notuse GPS, so they can work even during natural disasters. For example, they can be sent to areas affected by an earthquake to assess damage and determine where to send assistance, or to sites that are unsafe for people.
In this case, single drones can also be used, but the swarm works more efficiently, especially given the limited flight time.
The team tested their drones in a dense bamboo forest. The next stage is to launch them in ultra-dynamic conditions, for example, in the city.
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