- Lidar helps great detect and even avoid the finest obstacles
- The drone can follow mobile targets in dense forests
- Super real -time spatial mapping allows it to operate effectively even in low light conditions
A team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong has designed and tested an advanced air robot capable of navigating in complex high -speed environments up to 20 meters per second while maintaining precise control.
Named Super, the Quadcopter drone uses advanced Lidar technology to detect and avoid obstacles, even thin threads that have made challenges for traditional drones.
In the research published on Science Robotics (via Techxplore), the team noted that Super has potential applications in research and rescue, its ability to operate independently in unknown environments suggests that it could also be used for the application of the law and military recognition.
The power of the Lidar for the precision flight
Unlike conventional air robots based on cameras and sensors, Super uses the detection and diffusion of 3D light (LIDAR) to map its environment and process spatial data in real time, which allows it to operate under conditions Low light.
With a detection range up to 70 meters, the Lidar system feeds data to an on -board computer that continuously analyzes the environment.
This system allows Super to draw two separate flight trajectories, a priority of security and another allowing an exploratory movement.
To demonstrate their abilities, the research team tested super against a commercial drone, the DJI Mavic 3.
While the DJI model avoided larger obstacles, it has struggled to detect thin wires of smaller diameters. On the other hand, super successful all obstacles, including 2.5 mm thin wires, thanks to its treatment of high resolution points clouds.
The result of the test also reveals that the drone slipped through dense forests, depending on the mobile targets without colliding with trees or branches.
