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.
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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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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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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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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898
Robotics
As thermal cameras become commonplace on autonomous drones and vehicles, a University of Florida engineering professor is working to make sure they can't be maliciously tricked into "seeing" things that aren't there.
Mar 17, 2026
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Telecom
While satellite navigation has become an essential part of modern life, it still struggles to work reliably indoors and in dense urban environments where high-rise buildings deteriorate signal propagation. In his doctoral ...
Mar 16, 2026
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Other
The surge of drone use in conflicts worldwide, seen most vividly in the Ukraine and Middle East wars, will accelerate the race to develop high-power laser systems that could down the devices far more cheaply than traditional ...
Mar 16, 2026
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Robotics
Current vision systems for robots and drones rely on 3D sensors that, although powerful, do not always keep up with the fast-paced, unpredictable movement of the real world. These systems often struggle to measure speed instantly ...
Engineering
Do you want to know how much noise there is on a construction site? You want to measure the sound of the excavator or the hammer drill, but you don't want to measure seagulls, traffic noise or a helicopter flying by. Now ...
Mar 12, 2026
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