Autonomous drones that can 'see' and fly intelligently

Drones have been given'eyes' and a new algorithm to help them fly intelligently, reaching their target position when GPS is not available. Dr. Jiefei Wang, a researcher from UNSW Canberra Trusted Autonomy Group, used an Xbox Kinect sensor as an input camera to help drones'see' their environment. Jiefei developed algorithms to process the video footage image by image, to help the drones know their own speed, motion, and to detect obstacles so they can reach their target position--a completely autonomous system. "Depth information is crucial for locating objects," Jiefei says. "Human beings can use one eye to see the world but need two eyes to locate. For example, try closing one eye, then point your index fingers towards each other and bring them together. Most people will find this difficult."