Helping drone swarms avoid obstacles without hitting each other

Engineers at EPFL have developed a predictive control model that allows swarms of drones to fly in cluttered environments quickly and safely. It works by enabling individual drones to predict their own behaviour and that of their neighbours in the swarm. There is strength in numbers. By flying in a swarm, they can cover larger areas and collect a wider range of data, since each drone can be equipped with different sensors. One reason why drone swarms haven't been used more widely is the risk of gridlock within the swarm.