Engineers from China have presented a swarm of drones that can move even through a dense forest

Researchers at China's Zhejiang University submittedSwarm of micro flying robots in the wild / ScienceRobotics a swarm of drones capable of moving through a dense bamboo forest without human intervention. It is noted that this is the first time that a swarm of drones is able to successfully fly in an unstructured environment - the wild.

The group is made up of 10 palm-sized drones that "talk" to each other to stay in line and exchange data from on-board cameras and sensors to create a map on the fly. Thanks to this, when blocking the path for one of the drones, it can use information from other devices to rebuild the route.

The researchers note that this method can also be used to track a person who moves in the same environment. If one drone loses sight of a target, others will find it and bring the stragglers on the trail. It will be useful for rescuers and wildlife experts.

So, during natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, a swarm of drones will be able to search for survivors and guide them along a safe route, as well as deliver emergency supplies to people stranded trap. During forest fires, maneuverable vehicles will be able to quickly collect information about the spread of fire without the risk of injuring people.

At the moment, drone swarms are programmed according to two scenarios: “insects” or “birds”. In the first option, the drones move in short jerks, which requires less computing power, and in the second, the flight is programmed for longer and smoother routes. Chinese scientists have chosen the second path, because with the improvement of technology, bird programming becomes more accessible.

At the same time, the danger of such machines is noted due to the possibility of their use in places of hostilities. Unlike single drones, such a system is able to move completely autonomously, so their military potential is hard to deny.