DARPA’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program was recently tested with an obstacle course for drones that can maneuver through urban areas or forests without human assistance. The drones use algorithms that help them navigate from digital photographs without the use of GPS or satellite imagery of the terrain. While the drones can use basic maps if they are available, the important part of this development is that they can fly with no knowledge of the area at all. This is especially useful to the military because it also means the drone doesn’t always have to be in contact with people, so there is no persistent signal that an opposing force could trace.
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