Articles tagged with "drones"
Mandrakes drone's unique whine signals its multi-purpose capabilities
At the 55th Paris Air Show, Czech startup FlyinDiamonds showcased its innovative "Mandrakes" drones—small, glowing quadcopters named for their distinctive high-pitched whine upon landing, which aids operators in locating them in difficult terrains. Designed and manufactured entirely in the Czech Republic, these drones feature a 270 mm propeller diameter, 25-minute flight time, 450 g weight, and can withstand winds up to 7 m/s. They are powered by a 3600mAh Li-Ion 4S battery and support connectivity via Wi-Fi, micro USB, and UART interfaces, including a light show controller. Originally focused on entertainment through light shows, FlyinDiamonds has expanded into industrial uses such as millimeter-precision 3D scanning for construction and facade cleaning. FlyinDiamonds is also exploring emergency medical applications, aiming to use drones to deliver critical supplies like defibrillators and medication, potentially reducing response times in urgent situations.
dronesUAVroboticsIoTenergy-storagecarbon-compositesunmanned-aerial-vehiclesUS taps ‘struggling’ Boeing to turn dead F-16s into supersonic drones
Boeing has been awarded a $10.2 million contract modification, part of a $318.7 million effort, by the US Air Force to convert retired F-16 fighter jets into QF-16 full-scale aerial target drones. These supersonic drones will replace the aging QF-4 Phantoms, enhancing the realism of missile testing against modern fourth-generation aircraft. The work, conducted primarily at Boeing’s St. Louis avionics factory, involves installing telemetry, scoring systems, flight-termination safety gear, and uncrewed avionics. The Air Force plans to operate up to 210 QF-16s from Jacksonville, Florida, integrating them into the fleet by December 2026. This program continues a longstanding practice of converting manned fighters into uncrewed targets for live-fire exercises dating back to the 1960s. This contract win comes amid significant challenges for Boeing, which is facing scrutiny over recent safety incidents, including a fatal 2025 crash of
robotdronesaerospaceavionicsunmanned-systemsmilitary-technologyBoeingSpotify’s Daniel Ek just bet bigger on Helsing, Europe’s defense tech darling
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has led a €600 million investment round in Helsing, a Munich-based defense technology company now valued at €3 billion, making it one of Europe’s most valuable private firms. Helsing, founded four years ago, specializes in AI-driven battlefield visualization software that integrates data from military sensors, radars, and weapons systems to provide real-time, intuitive situational awareness across various military units. The company has expanded beyond software to develop strike drones, aircraft, and unmanned mini submarines aimed at enhancing naval surveillance. This investment reflects a broader European push to build strategic autonomy in defense amid growing geopolitical tensions, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and shifting U.S. defense policies under former President Trump. European governments are increasingly prioritizing digital and AI-driven military capabilities, moving away from traditional hardware like planes and tanks. Helsing’s funding round, backed by investors including Lightspeed Ventures, Accel, and Saab, is part of a larger defense tech boom in Europe, signaling a shift toward self
robotdefense-technologyAIdronesunmanned-vehiclesmilitary-technologysurveillance-systemsElephant trunk drone arm bends, grabs, and works in tight spaces
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have developed the Aerial Elephant Trunk (AET), a flexible, shape-shifting robotic arm inspired by an elephant’s trunk, designed to enhance drone capabilities in complex manipulation tasks. Unlike traditional rigid drone arms with grippers, the AET uses a soft, continuum structure that can bend, twist, and wrap around objects of various sizes and shapes, enabling drones to operate effectively in tight spaces and awkward angles. This innovation addresses key limitations of existing aerial robots, such as weight constraints and limited range of motion, allowing drones to perform tasks that require both reach and finesse. The AET’s dexterity and adaptability make it particularly valuable for applications in disaster response, infrastructure maintenance, and inspections in hard-to-reach environments. It can navigate narrow pipelines, maneuver around obstacles, and handle delicate operations like clearing debris from collapsed buildings or repairing high-voltage lines and bridges. By expanding the functional roles of drones beyond observation to hands-on interaction, the AET represents a
roboticsdronesaerial-roboticsflexible-robotic-armsrobotic-manipulationdisaster-response-technologyinfrastructure-inspectionIran's nuclear, military sites hit by 200 Israeli jets, IDF claims
Israel launched a large-scale airstrike against Iran on Thursday night and Friday morning, deploying over 200 fighter jets to target more than 100 nuclear and military sites, including the Natanz nuclear facility. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the strikes hit the "heart" of Iran’s nuclear program, aiming to disrupt Tehran’s production of enriched uranium, which Israel says is bringing Iran closer to developing nuclear weapons. Iranian state media reported significant casualties, including the deaths of Hossein Salami, chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and six nuclear scientists, though these claims have not been independently verified. Iran denied any radiation increase at Natanz and stated that the Bushehr nuclear power plant was not targeted. The strikes occurred amid ongoing nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, with the sixth round scheduled in Muscat, Oman. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently accused Iran of breaching its non-proliferation obligations by failing to disclose details about undeclared nuclear material
energynuclear-energymilitary-technologydronesdefense-systemsuranium-enrichmentMiddle-East-conflictMIT teaches drones to survive nature’s worst, from wind to rain
MIT researchers have developed a novel machine-learning-based adaptive control algorithm to improve the resilience of autonomous drones against unpredictable weather conditions such as sudden wind gusts. Unlike traditional aircraft, drones are more vulnerable to being pushed off course due to their smaller size, which poses challenges for critical applications like emergency response and deliveries. The new algorithm uses meta-learning to quickly adapt to varying weather by automatically selecting the most suitable optimization method based on real-time environmental disturbances. This approach enables the drone to achieve up to 50% less trajectory tracking error compared to baseline methods, even under wind conditions not encountered during training. The control system leverages a family of optimization algorithms known as mirror descent, automating the choice of the best algorithm for the current problem, which enhances the drone’s ability to adjust thrust dynamically to counteract wind effects. The researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of their method through simulations and real-world tests, showing significant improvements in flight stability. Ongoing work aims to extend the system’s capabilities to handle multiple disturbance sources, such as shifting payloads, and to incorporate continual learning so the drone can adapt to new challenges without needing retraining. This advancement promises to enhance the efficiency and reliability of autonomous drones in complex, real-world environments.
dronesautonomous-systemsmachine-learningadaptive-controlroboticsartificial-intelligencemeta-learningUS Air Force's new unit to test drone and fighter jet coordination
The U.S. Air Force has officially established the Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) within the 53rd Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, upgrading it from a detachment to a full squadron-equivalent unit. The EOU’s primary mission is to rapidly develop and operationalize next-generation air combat concepts, focusing on the integration of uncrewed systems like the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) with manned fighter jets. This initiative supports the Department of the Air Force’s goal to deploy the CCA under Increment 1 by the end of the decade, advancing manned-unmanned teaming to enhance airpower capabilities. The EOU leads efforts to simulate, test, and validate tactics that enable coordinated operations between crewed fighters (such as F-35s and F-22s) and autonomous drones, which leverage AI for missions including electronic warfare, surveillance, communications relay, and strike roles. The CCA concept allows a single pilot to control multiple drones, increasing combat power, survivability, and reducing pilot risk. This approach is critical for countering the growing drone capabilities of strategic competitors like China and Russia. The unit employs both virtual simulations and live-flight exercises, collaborating with centers at Nellis AFB to refine human-machine teamwork, inform training programs, and develop deployment strategies. The creation of the EOU represents a strategic shift from platform-centric warfare to a capability-focused, networked, and adaptive force structure. By emphasizing flexible integration of autonomous systems with human control, the Air Force aims to build a more resilient and responsive joint force capable of addressing evolving threats across diverse mission environments. The EOU’s work is foundational to operationalizing future air combat systems that are affordable, scalable, and tactically effective from the outset.
robotautonomous-systemsdronesmilitary-technologyAI-in-defenseunmanned-aerial-vehiclesmanned-unmanned-teamingTrump signs orders to encourage flying cars, counter drone threats
President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of advanced aviation technologies, including drones, flying taxis (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles or eVTOLs), and supersonic commercial jets. The orders direct the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enable routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations, deploy AI tools to expedite waiver reviews, and update integration roadmaps for drones in national airspace. Additionally, the FAA is tasked with lifting the longstanding ban on supersonic flights over U.S. land, citing advancements in noise reduction and aerospace engineering that make such travel safe and commercially viable. Trump also initiated a pilot program for eVTOL projects focusing on medical response, cargo transport, and urban air mobility. To address national security concerns, the administration established a federal task force to monitor drone activity near sensitive locations like airports and large public events, aiming to enforce laws against misuse and mitigate risks posed by disruptive drone technology. The orders emphasize reducing reliance on foreign-made drones, particularly from China, by prioritizing U.S.-manufactured drones and promoting exports to allied countries. These initiatives build on prior efforts to integrate commercial drones and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into various sectors, with the broader goal of fostering high-skilled job growth, enhancing emergency response capabilities, and maintaining American leadership in global aviation.
dronesflying-carseVTOLsupersonic-jetsaerospace-engineeringartificial-intelligenceurban-air-mobilityCongratulations to the #AAMAS2025 best paper, best demo, and distinguished dissertation award winners - Robohub
The 24th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2025), held from May 19-23 in Detroit, recognized outstanding contributions in the field with awards for best paper, best demo, and distinguished dissertation. The Best Paper Award went to the team behind "Soft Condorcet Optimization for Ranking of General Agents," led by Marc Lanctot and colleagues. Several other papers were finalists, covering topics such as commitments in BDI agents, curiosity-driven partner selection, reinforcement learning for vehicle-to-building charging, and drone delivery systems. The Best Student Paper Award was given to works on decentralized planning using probabilistic hyperproperties and large language models for virtual human gesture selection. In addition, the Blue Sky Ideas Track honored François Olivier and Zied Bouraoui for their neurosymbolic approach to embodied cognition, while the Best Demo Award recognized a project on serious games for ethical preference elicitation by Jayati Deshmukh and team. The Victor Lesser Distinguished Dissertation Award, which highlights originality, impact, and quality in autonomous agents research, was awarded to Jannik Peters for his thesis on proportionality in selecting committees, budgets, and clusters. Lily Xu was the runner-up for her dissertation on AI decision-making for planetary health under conditions of low-quality data. These awards underscore the innovative research advancing autonomous agents and multiagent systems.
robotautonomous-agentsmultiagent-systemsdronesreinforcement-learningenergy-storageAIUS firms to develop high-tech tiny engines for next-gen combat drones
robotdronesunmanned-systemspropulsion-technologydefense-technologycombat-aircraftaerospaceRobot Talk Episode 122 – Bio-inspired flying robots, with Jane Pauline Ramos Ramirez - Robohub
robotdronesbio-inspiredaerospace-engineeringautonomous-machinesbionicstechnologyDrones could fly 30% farther with golf ball-style shape-shifting skin
robotIoTenergymaterialsdronesdrag-reductionmaneuverabilityChina's aerial mothership can launch 100 drones over 4,500 miles
robotdronesUAVmilitary-technologyaerial-warfareChinadefense-technology