Search results for "drone"
Human eyes assist drones and teach them to 'see'
Drone images accumulate much faster than they can be analysed. Researchers have developed a new approach that combines crowdsourcing and machine learning to speed up the process. Who would win in a real-life game of "Where's Waldo," humans or computers? A recent study suggests that when speed and accuracy are critical, an approach combing both human and machine intelligence would take the prize.
SCAMP robots fly, perch and climb
Roboticists are as focused on small robots that can function and go where the big robots cannot. It's all about scale at the Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory at Stanford. They are working on robots that live at the boundary of airborne and surface locomotion. Smaller robots are robust in dealing with impacts, more capable of rapid orientation changes, and can achieve higher adhesive forces relative to their size.
Drones could be used to speed up landmine clearance
University of Bristol scientists are researching how drones can be used to speed up landmine clearance to demonstrate how large, football pitch-sized areas can be mapped quickly.The research, led by Dr John Day of the Interface Analysis Centre in Bristol’s School of Physics, is funded by Find A Better Way, the charity founded by England and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton.
Drones revolutionise ecological monitoring
New Monash University research has paved the way for drones to revolutionise ecological monitoring. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the research found that drones are much more precise at monitoring the size of seabird colonies in tropical and polar environments than more traditional ground counts.
Drones are speeding-up HIV diagnosis
At a time when unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons – from high profile crashes to the devices being employed as a tool for terrorists – the emerging technology has been in need of a good news story. This has emerged from Malawi as the west African country is employing a custom made UAV to deliver HIV test results – significantly reducing waiting times and ensuring people r...
Drones fly independently using "insect eyes"
After studying how insects navigate through dense vegetation, researchers at Lund University have come up with a system that can be applied to flying robots. By adapting the system to drones, they can be made to adjust their speed to their surroundings and fly on their own– completely without human intervention and control.
22V/40V input power modules deliver 3A/6A full current
Exar Corporation announces the XR79103, XR79106, XR79203 and XR79206 as addition to its family of synchronous step-down power modules with input voltage up to 40V. All four single output devices with high operating efficiency and low temperature rise in a compact QFN package includes easy to use, fully integrated power converters including MOSFETs, inductors and high frequency input capacitor.
Kalman Filter acceleration IP core suits ADAS
EnSilica has launched a Kalman Filter acceleration IP core for use in situational awareness radar sensors for ADAS, such as electronic stability control systems, pre-crash impact mitigation, blind spot detection, lane departure detection and self-parking.
MEMS technology is adapted into gravity detector
Scientists have found a way to adapt a system often found in smartphones to create a super-sensitive detector capable of measuring minute changes in gravity. In a paper published in Nature, researchers from the University of Glasgow describe how they have adapted cheap, widely-available technology to make a small but powerful gravimeter for the first time. Affordable, portable gravimeters could have a wide range of applications, including volcano...
Hotel in Japan employed a velociraptor as its receptionist
The Henn na Hotel (or 'Weird Hotel'), in southwestern Japan, features staff made up almost entirely of robots in an effort to save on labour costs. The hotel is run by Hideo Sawada, who insists that robots should not be treated as toys. "It is rather a serious move to use the full advantages brought about by technology to achieve efficiency. I wanted to highlight innovation," said Sawada. "I also wanted to do something about hotel prices going up...