""Search and rescue is done on foot," Sanket told TechCrunch. "There are a lot of people who go on foot with flashlights in really harsh conditions and put their lives at danger to save others. We thought drones are the answer because they can cover a lot of ground really fast. They can be agile and quick.""
""We had to reimagine what a drone would be at that point, which is go back to biology, because biology does this way better than we can today," Sanket said. "How do insects or birds do it with super limited compute and not-so-good sensing apparatus? Their eyes are not that great, their brains are really small, but they're still able to do these amazing feats of flight. So we started looking at that, and that's what gave rise to my PhD thesis.""
Search and rescue missions often occur in areas that are inaccessible to humans because of extreme weather, rough terrain, or hazardous conditions like smoke or dust. Researchers developed palm-sized flying robots inspired by bats that emit and receive ultrasound to detect nearby obstacles. Onboard AI-powered software filters environmental noise from ultrasonic signals and enables obstacle detection within a two-meter radius. The robots aim to reduce risks to human rescuers while covering ground quickly with agility and speed. Biological principles observed in insects and birds guided design choices to enable small robots with limited compute and sensing. Earlier prototypes included a robotic beehive for pollination before shifting to rescue-focused applications.
Read at TechCrunch
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