PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD
PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD | Table of Contents: |
(Source: EPFL)
A few weeks ago, I wrote about innovative robots that swarm together in polluted water to collect oil. Now, robots are swarming in the air. A team of researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland is creating autonomous robots that swarm in the air to improve emergency communications during disasters.
Specially designed for simplicity, safety and cost, the robots are lightweight and easy to operate. Built from expanded polypropylene (EPP), they weigh just 420 grams each—that's less than a pound—and have a wingspan of 80 centimeters. Powered by a lithium-ion polymer battery, the robot's motor can run the device autonomously for up to 30 minutes.
Despite its small size, the machine is equipped with several state-of-the-art technologies. Its autopilot precisely controls altitude, airspeed and turn rate of the craft. To help keep it lightweight, the robot has a minimalist sensor system of a gyroscope and two pressure sensors, yet features excellent flying accuracy.
Equipped with WiFi, the robots can safely communicate with each other as well as with emergency workers on the ground (source: EPFL).
The EPFL engineers chose to design a flying robot for better navigation of difficult terrain, which can become especially dangerous during disaster situations. Particularly unique about the robots is their ease of use. A simple interface allows non-experts to control a large group of the robots, called a Swarming Micro Air Vehicle Network (SMAVNET). A swarm of the robots will deploy a communication network to aid emergency workers in times when normal communication methods can fail.
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