On a recent bike ride through the woods near Menlo Park in California, Adam Bry, CEO of a company called Skydio, and his coworkers were joined by a small, nimble drone. As they rode along a dirt track, the drone followed close by, weaving expertly around tree trunks and branches in a series of deft maneuvers. What’s amazing is that the drone wasn’t piloted by a person, but by Skydio’s technology. It lets an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) use several video cameras not only to avoid obstacles but also to navigate at high speeds through busy airspace as expertly as a human pilot. That kind of autonomy could transform the consumer drone market by making aircraft much harder to crash. It could also make it easier for drones to do tasks autonomously even in busy settings. Skydio, founded last year, has so far raised $25 million in funding in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel Partners. Bry declined to say when Skydio’s first product would appear or how much it might cost. ...Continue reading via the source link. Source (MIT Technology Review): https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600925/daredevil-drone-flies-through-the-trees-like-an-ace/
