Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary, have achieved a breakthrough in drone technology. After creating the world's first self-organizing drone swarm, the innovative team has achieved another milestone.
They recently demonstrated the first large-scale autonomous drone traffic solution.
This advanced system is more capable than human pilots. In the future, drones will fly in the sky with higher efficiency and safety.
Since 2009, the Department of Biophysics at ELTE has been at the forefront of research on robot swarms and drone swarms. In 2014, they created the world's first autonomous quadcopter swarm of at least 10 units, marking the beginning of their research journey. Now, their latest research results have shown a dense autonomous traffic of 100 drones.
From flying swarms to autonomous traffic: a leap forward
While drone swarms and autonomous traffic may seem similar, they face different challenges and have different objectives. In drone swarms, drones try to coordinate their movements to move in perfect synchronization like a flock of birds. In autonomous drone traffic, each drone has its own route and goal, which may cause conflicts. This complexity is particularly evident in open spaces, as drones can move freely in any direction like pedestrians.
The ELTE team solved this complex problem with an intelligent, real-time route planner. They combined it with a traditional swarming pattern inspired by nature.
This new approach can help autonomous drones avoid most traffic conflicts. It can also allow drones to coordinate directly with nearby drones, thus safely handling any traffic issues.
The effectiveness of this self-organizing model with no central control was first tested through simulations. The tests showed continuous high-speed random traffic of up to 5,000 drones. Scenarios included different speeds and priorities in two-dimensional settings.
They also drew a layered three-dimensional example. This showed the model's potential to handle dense drone traffic. It can be used for future smart cities and decentralized air traffic control systems.
Practical applications and future prospects
This research programmed the model into CollMot Robotics' fleet of 100 drones. The company was founded by the Department of Biophysics at ELTE University with the goal of commercializing drone swarm technology. The on-site demonstration of 100 self-organizing drones was an important milestone. This achievement ushered in a new era of drone automated operations. CollMot Robotics represents the fusion of scientific research and industrial innovation.
Their collaboration with ELTE is constantly pushing the boundaries of drone technology. They are challenging the limits of autonomous drone traffic.
With this autonomous traffic solution, various industries can envision the future where drones can smoothly perform different tasks, making them more efficient and safe. Possible applications are numerous, such as agricultural drones spraying pesticides together in the fields, or drone swarms delivering goods in cities. The defense industry can also benefit from using autonomous drones to perform surveillance and tactical missions.
Taking a step towards smart cities and decentralized air traffic control
ELTE's research not only has direct applications but also has other impacts. Showcasing large-scale autonomous drone traffic opens the door to smart cities. Drones may become a key component of urban transportation and logistics. Decentralized air traffic control was once a sci-fi idea, but now it seems to be becoming a reality.
ELTE's work aims to fundamentally change the way goods are transported and handled in cities, allowing drones to fly safely in busy skies without human control. This result was recently published in the journal Swarm Intelligence.
