An automated drone from MIT was able to avoid obstacles at 30mph in unmapped territory. Drones are already more than popular, garnering thousands of dollars on crowd funding websites and the like. Could this be the beginning of a technological take over?
In general, automated devices are given maps with which to navigate, and this drone, weighing 664g, can navigate on its own. The drone, designed by MIT student Andrew Barry, won’t avoid an airliner coming in at 300mph, but that’s only because the technology isn’t developed that far along yet. Highlighting the keyword yet. Barry’s drone, designed to earn him his PhD, can scan 10 meters ahead of its line of sight for obstacles, and it can adjust accordingly. He says that soon enough, drones will be able to brake automatically, just as cars do.
This would indicate giving drones even more intelligence to drive itself away from risk, and return control to the pilot once the obstacle has been bypassed. Thanks to his work, Barry is to join Boston Dynamics, which was acquired by Google 2013, after graduation. All of his work is shared on Github.
Technology enthusiasts, rejoice, for we may soon see the sky plagued with drones. Though many countries have criminalized the usage of drones, or otherwise banned them from certain public areas, it is only a matter of time before drones become an even more widespread invention.
