Drones

Engineers at MIT have developed a new model to simulate dynamic soaring, and have used it to identify the optimal flight pattern that an albatross should take in order to harvest the most wind and energy. They found that as an albatross banks or turns, it should do so in shallow arcs, keeping almost to a straight, forward trajectory.

Engineers identify key to albatross’ marathon flight

Flying in shallow arcs helps birds stay aloft with less effort.

October 10, 2017

Associate professors Julie Shah, Sertac Karaman, and Amos Winter, in front of the newly renovated Building 31.

Building 31 powers back up

Members of AeroAstro and MechE are returning to a dramatically renovated building, with robots, drones, and even a Corvette in tow.

September 24, 2017

MIT researchers have developed a system that enables small, safe, aerial drones to read RFID tags in large warehouses at a distance of several meters, while identifying the tags’ locations with an average error of about 19 centimeters.

Drones relay RFID signals for inventory control

System could save retailers billions lost through faulty inventory records.

August 25, 2017

New hybrid gas-to-electric drones from MIT spinout Top Flight Technologies offer an order-of-magnitude increase in range, payload size, and power over battery-powered counterparts. The drones may pave the way for package delivery and human flight.

Hybrid drones carry heavier payloads for greater distances

Startup’s gas-electric engines may pave way for package delivery and human flight.

August 4, 2017

A Flybrix LEGO drone lifts off. Flybrix kits let consumers “tinker around with LEGOs, come up with a design you like, and see it fly,” says cofounder Amir Hirsch ’06, SM ’07.

Startup soars with LEGO drones

Co-founded by Amir Hirsch ’06, SM ’07, Flybrix drones offers people of all ages the ability to fly their ideas.

August 3, 2017

$Engineers at MIT have taken a first step in designing a computer chip that uses a fraction of the power of larger drone computers and is tailored for a drone as small as a bottlecap.$

Miniaturizing the brain of a drone

Method for designing efficient computer chips may get miniature smart drones off the ground.

July 11, 2017

One of the researchers' quadcopter drones with wheels.

Drones that drive

CSAIL team’s system of quadcopters that fly and drive suggest another approach to developing flying cars.

June 26, 2017

Open Water Power’s battery that "drinks" in sea water to operate is safer and cheaper, and provides a tenfold increase in range, over traditional lithium-ion batteries used for unpiloted underwater vehicles. The power system consists of an alloyed aluminum anode, an alloyed cathode, and an alkaline electrolyte positioned between the electrodes. Components are only activated when flooded with wat...

Batteries that “drink” seawater could power long-range underwater vehicles

Startup’s novel aluminum batteries increase the range of UUVs tenfold.

June 15, 2017

Engineers design drones that can stay aloft for five days

New design could provide communication support in disaster zones.

June 6, 2017

Cinematography on the fly

System directs camera-equipped drones to maintain framing of an aerial shot.

May 17, 2017

MIT teaching assistant Marjorie Cantine lands a drone in Death Valley.

Classroom Earth: Drones over the desert

Professor Kristin Bergmann and her class used innovative technology to explore the sedimentary history of the Carrara Formation in California's Death Valley.

May 16, 2017

Researchers including MIT professor Daniela Rus (left) and research scientist Stephanie Gil (right) have developed a technique for preventing malicious hackers from commandeering robot teams’ communication networks. To verify the theoretical predictions, the researchers implemented their system using a battery of distributed Wi-Fi transmitters and an autonomous helicopter.

Security for multirobot systems

New technique could protect robot teams’ communication networks from malicious hackers.

March 16, 2017

A four-rotor "bunnycopter" developed at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory features propellers at different heights.

Design your own custom drone

CSAIL system lets users design and fabricate drones with a wide range of shapes and structures.

December 5, 2016

SolidEnergy Systems' battery (far right) is twice as energy-dense, yet just as safe and long-lasting as the lithium ion batteries used in consumer electronics. The battery uses a lithium metal foil for an anode, which can hold more ions and is several times thinner and lighter than traditional lithium metal, graphite, carbon, or silicon anodes. A novel electrolyte also keeps the battery from heati...

Doubling battery power of consumer electronics

New lithium metal batteries could make smartphones, drones, and electric cars last twice as long.

August 16, 2016

MIT researchers will present a new, decentralized planning algorithm for teams of robots that factors in not only stationary obstacles, but moving obstacles, as well. The algorithm still comes with strong mathematical guarantees that the robots will avoid collisions.

Robotic consensus

Control algorithm for teams of robots factors in moving obstacles.

April 21, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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