Flying Robots Juggle and Find their Way through Buildings

Flying robots under the control of a computer NOT a human are no longer the stuff of science fiction. These robots, called quad-rotors for their 4 propellers, are becoming capable of amazing feats. In the video above the robot successfully juggles a ball for several bounces. This is something a human controlled aircraft would have a very hard time doing!

Several teams around the world are programming these robots to do some incredible tasks. In most cases the computer controlling the robot is not on board. Rather it is a laptop nearby sending radio signals to the robot. In the video below though we see a robot autonomously navigate through a building at the University of Pennsylvania. This robot is different in that all the computations are taking place ON BOARD the aircraft not from any external computer.




Here are some additional videos of these incredible flying robots in action:
1. Flips, flying through small gaps, and parking itself
2. Building structures out of magnetic rods
3. Recovering from errors and performing surveillance

These robots are advancing so fast that it is hard to keep up with the progress. Nearly every week a new video gets posted of some new capability. It won't be long before you see these driving themselves around a building or city near you.