EPFL Develops Flying Robot Swarm

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Few things in life freak me out quite so earnestly as the phrase “swarm of flying robots”. But that’s exactly what the folks out at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) have pulled off now.

Dubbed the SMAVNET (Swarming Micro Air Vehicle NETwork) project, they’re working on a swarm of flying robots that can move easily throughout disaster areas and build a communications network quickly and efficiently.

The robots can control their own altitude, air speed and turn rate based on internal gyroscopes and the positions of similar units in the area. It’s actually a smart idea–sending out at series of flight-capable robots to act as communications relays. They move quick, they don’t care about terrain issues and get access to line-of-sight communication techniques.

The swarming technology, meanwhile, is driven by a combination of ants and Linux, thus allowing them to know how far to spread out and where to land to establish their network. When this actually gets off the ground, look for these to be most anywhere a disaster happens.