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Skydio's Forthcoming Consumer Drones Can Sense and Avoid Obstacles (technologyreview.com)

Posted by timothy on from the get-outta-my-way dept.

moon_unit2 writes: DJI's new Phantom 4 drone may be able to stop if there's an obstacles directly in front of it, but MIT Technology Review has a story about a much more sophisticated self-flying drone, from a startup called Skydio (basically using high-speed visual SLAM, which is no mean feat in such a tiny package). The company's prototype uses several video cameras to navigate around obstacles at high speeds through busy airspace. The technology could make consumer drones much harder to crash, and it could let drones do more complex surveillance tasks. Skydio, founded last year, has so far raised $25 million in funding in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel Partners.

9 of 18 comments (clear)

  1. So what's the technology by buck-yar · · Score: 1

    Maybe I missed it in the article, but are they using optical flow, LIDAR, IR-lock, sonar or something new?

    1. Re:So what's the technology by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      Likely IR, here's another: http://www.onagofly.com/

    2. Re:So what's the technology by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      That must be awesome when a cloud of dust or blowing leaves enters the visual field...

    3. Re:So what's the technology by I4ko · · Score: 2

      SLAM is a process, not a technology. It still requires sensors. If they are using cameras, they must be doing some funky 3d vision thing.

  2. Re:What about buckshot? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  3. Normal by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    Without that feature these 'drones' are just remote controlled copters.

    1. Re:Normal by neilo_1701D · · Score: 1

      Without that feature these 'drones' are just remote controlled copters.

      And?

      Without the plethora of onboard computers and sensors, the Google self-driving car is just another crappy Prius.

      I don't see the point you're trying to make.

  4. Zano reborn by bored_lurker · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This sounds like the rebirth of Zano, the biggest failure in Kickstarter history. For those who don't know Zano raised $3.5M and delivered nothing to its backers. It was suppose to be a self navigating drone that used camera to navigate around obstacles (sound familiar?). They had slick videos of what it was suppose to do, and in the end they delivered - nothing. It was such a disaster that Kickstarter actually hired a journalist to chronicle what happened to the project (https://medium.com/kickstarter/how-zano-raised-millions-on-kickstarter-and-left-backers-with-nearly-nothing-85c0abe4a6cb#.imzfeeu3j). Seriously, why is this different?

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  5. I do not think that by thoughtlover · · Score: 1

    means what you think it means.

    "...using high-speed visual SLAM, which is no mean feat in such a tiny package..."

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