Engineers taught drones to play a bouncer

Most modern collision avoidance systems require about 20-40 milliseconds

to handle changes in the environment. This is too much for situations where the drone needs to avoid a bird or another drone.

Low reaction speed makes it freeNavigation is a challenge in large cities, where many drones may be flying in a limited area, or in natural or man-made disaster zones, where drones need to move quickly.

In a new study, scientists equippedquadrocopter cameras specifically designed to detect fast movement, as well as new algorithms that made their response several times faster. As a result, the time required for data processing and collision avoidance was reduced to 3-5 milliseconds.

As a demonstration of the new approach, the researchers commanded drones to play dodgeball, a fast-paced ball game where two drones must hit a third with the ball.

Previously, researchers from MicrosofttaughtAI autonomously controls the drone. In the future, this system will help people in search and rescue operations.