Autonomous aerial robotics investigates unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related platforms that can sense, decide, and act with minimal human intervention in complex environments. Work in this area spans bio‑inspired airframes and control, multi-sensor and quantum-enhanced navigation in GNSS-denied settings, collaborative swarming and human–AI teaming, and mission-specific systems for search and rescue, disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, and precision strike. The field integrates machine learning, optimization, and robust control with communication, cybersecurity, and counter‑drone technologies to ensure reliable, safe operation under uncertainty and interference.
Security
In a world where cell phones and cars guide us everywhere, we've come to trust global positioning as much as we trust our own senses. What happens when that trust is broken?
May 3, 2026
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Engineering
Traffic jams are a problem in large urban areas. How can they be solved without expanding the road network? This is a challenge that researchers are attempting to address.
Apr 27, 2026
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Robotics
Operations underground, for example in underground stations, tunnels or mines, are risky and difficult for rescue teams. This is especially true if the technical infrastructure has collapsed due to explosions or fire, and ...
Apr 23, 2026
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Engineering
Researchers at the University of Florida are developing artificial intelligence models to pinpoint early signs of sinkholes before they appear. "I'm always looking for real-world problems," said Minhee Kim, Ph.D., an assistant ...
Apr 9, 2026
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Machine learning & AI
A Pentagon AI program called Project Maven is at the center of the US strikes against Iran and potentially one of the most consequential transformations of modern warfare.
Apr 5, 2026
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Engineering
To help small aerial robots navigate in the dark and other low-visibility environments, my colleagues and I developed an ultrasound-based perception system inspired by bat echolocation.
Mar 30, 2026
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Engineering
An optical principle discovered more than a century ago may soon find new applications in such areas as monitoring atmospheric turbulence, tracking airborne objects, and mapping the environment, thanks to researchers at the ...
Mar 26, 2026
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179
Robotics
A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Nitin J. Sanket has shown that ultrasound sensors and a form of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable palm-sized aerial robots to navigate with limited power ...
Mar 26, 2026
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30
Robotics
A combination of infrared imaging, thermal imaging and color cameras on an uncrewed drone, along with an AI system to interpret the data, can help emergency responders and search-and-rescue teams locate, identify and track ...
Mar 24, 2026
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7
Robotics
Researchers have built a drone that runs on hydrogen, to replace battery-powered drones that are too heavy and have too short a range. This technology could help fix power outages faster and replace dangerous helicopter missions ...
Mar 18, 2026
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