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Technology

Collision-dodging drones can navigate tight spaces without crashing

Two teams of engineers have taken separate approaches to enable drones to carry out research or rescue operations with a reduced risk of crashing

By Alex Wilkins

9 March 2022

The RMF-Owl is designed to be collision-tolerant for subterranean exploration

The RMF-Owl is designed to be collision-tolerant for subterranean exploration

De Petris et al.

Prototype drones capable of navigating dangerous and unpredictable environments without crashing could prove useful for search-and-rescue teams.

at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and his colleagues have developed a flying drone that aims to avoid crashes altogether. The robot, called RMF-Owl, made its debut while winning a competition hosted by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in which it had to navigate an underground mine and perform rescue-related tasks.

De Petris and his team designed the drone to focus on…

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