Tiny plane takes daredevil rolls to dodge obstacles

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

A new autonomous aircraft isn't daunted by gaps narrower than its wingspan. Created by Russ Tedrake from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleagues, the computer-controlled plane can perform hair-raising rolls while flying at high speed to dart between obstacles.

The team isn't looking at how to detect obstacles but rather how to control the aircraft during complex manoeuvres. "We tell the system where the obstacles are beforehand, and use motion capture to know where our aircraft is and where the obstacles are at all times," says Andrew Barry, a member of the team.

In this video, the researchers are testing the system's limits by making the aircraft take last-moment rolls, which are challenging because air flow is chaotic when rolling at steep angles. The plane's position is constantly monitored during flight by a computer that calculates how it should move based on disturbances. The trajectory is then instantly transmitted wirelessly to the aircraft.

The goal of the project is to create UAVs that can fly through dense forest by equipping them with a vision system that can detect trees on the fly. "Over the next few years, we'll be getting closer and closer to a totally self-contained system that can fly through forests at high speed," says Barry.

If you enjoyed this post, watch a tiny aircraft that flies like a hummingbird or check out the world's first 3D-printed plane.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/21ee6d29/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A120C0A80Ctiny0Eplane0Eroll0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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