For decades, researchers have been working on control algorithms for autonomous helicopters — robotic helicopters that pilot themselves, rather than requiring remote human guidance. Dozens of research teams have competed in a series of autonomous-helicopter challenges posed by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI); progress has been so rapid that the last two challenges have involved indoor navigation without the use of GPS.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Robust Robotics Group — which fielded the team that won the last AUVSI contest — has set itself an even tougher challenge: Developing autonomous-control algorithms for the indoor flight of airplanes.
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