Drones

MIT researchers have developed a trajectory-planning model that helps drones fly more safely at high speeds through previously unexplored areas, which could aid search-and-rescue missions through dense forests.

System prevents speedy drones from crashing in unfamiliar areas

Drones can fly at high speeds to a destination while keeping safe “backup” plans if things go awry.

October 25, 2019

Deploying drones to prepare for climate change

PhD student Norhan Bayomi uses drones to investigate how building construction impacts communities’ resilience to rising temperatures.

October 4, 2019

MIT Media Lab researchers are using RFID tags to help robots home in on moving objects with unprecedented speed and accuracy, potentially enabling greater collaboration in robotic packaging and assembly and among swarms of drones.

Robots track moving objects with unprecedented precision

System uses RFID tags to home in on targets; could benefit robotic manufacturing, collaborative drones, and other applications.

February 18, 2019

As drones increasingly take on the job of inspecting growing solar farms, Raptor Maps' software makes sense of the data they collect.

Optimizing solar farms with smart drones

MIT spinoff Raptor Maps uses machine-learning software to improve the maintenance of solar panels.

January 30, 2019

A new MIT plane is propelled via ionic wind. Batteries in the fuselage (tan compartment in front of plane) supply voltage to electrodes (blue/white horizontal lines) strung along the length of the plane, generating a wind of ions that propels the plane forward.

MIT engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts

The silent, lightweight aircraft doesn’t depend on fossil fuels.

November 21, 2018

MIT researchers describe an autonomous system for a fleet of drones to collaboratively search under dense forest canopies using only onboard computation and wireless communication — no GPS required.

Fleets of drones could aid searches for lost hikers

System allows drones to cooperatively explore terrain under thick forest canopies where GPS signals are unreliable.

November 1, 2018

Felipe Varon says he hopes his vehicle can have an impact in developing countries where traffic and congestion are a problem, or where there’s a lack of transportation infrastructure.

One man’s flying car dream is taking off, thanks to MIT

Felipe Varon uses knowledge gained from MIT Professional Education to improve his invention; hopes cars might service areas with low access to food and supplies.

September 26, 2018

Matthias Winkenbach, research associate in the Center for Transportation and Logistics and director of the Megacities Logistics Lab, is helping companies answer questions like how many satellite facilities are needed, where they should be located, and what their function should be to optimize delivery systems.

E-commerce spurs innovation in last-mile logistics

As delivery logistics become more challenging with expanding e-commerce, planners such as Matthias Winkenbach are offering solutions.

September 4, 2018

MIT Media Lab researchers have designed a system that allows underwater and airborne sensors to directly share data. An underwater transmitter directs a sonar signal to the water’s surface, causing tiny vibrations that correspond to the 1s and 0s transmitted. Above the surface, a highly sensitive receiver reads these minute disturbances and decodes the sonar signal.

Wireless communication breaks through water-air barrier

In a novel system developed by MIT researchers, underwater sonar signals cause vibrations that can be decoded by an airborne receiver.

August 22, 2018

A new computer chip, smaller than a U.S. dime and shown here with a quarter for scale, helps miniature drones navigate in flight.

Chip upgrade helps miniature drones navigate

Low-power design will allow devices as small as a honeybee to determine their location while flying.

June 20, 2018

A new algorithm developed by MIT researchers helps keep data fresh within a simple communication system, such as multiple drones reporting to a single control tower.

Keeping data fresh for wireless networks

Algorithm provides networks with the most current information available while avoiding data congestion.

June 4, 2018

An albatross glider, designed by MIT engineers, skims the Charles River.

Albatross robot takes flight

Autonomous glider can fly like an albatross, cruise like a sailboat.

May 18, 2018

MIT engineers have developed a new virtual-reality training system for drones that enables a vehicle to “see” a rich, virtual environment while flying in an empty physical space.

Researchers develop virtual-reality testing ground for drones

With new system, drones navigate through an empty room, avoiding crashes while “seeing” a virtual world.

May 17, 2018

“MIT just changed the ways in which I think about the world in a very revolutionary way,” says senior Mehmet Efe Akengin.

Former Math Olympiad medalist embraces social entrepreneurship

MIT senior Mehmet Efe Akengin aims to innovate for the greater good.

March 25, 2018

Skydio, a San Francisco-based startup founded by three MIT alumni, is commercializing an autonomous video-capturing drone — dubbed by some as the “selfie drone” — that tracks and films a subject, while freely navigating any environment.

The autonomous “selfie drone”

Alumni’s video-capturing drone tracks moving subjects while freely navigating any environment.

March 13, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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