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Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones

Nature volume 521, pages 460–466 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

We are witnessing the advent of a new era of robots — drones — that can autonomously fly in natural and man-made environments. These robots, often associated with defence applications, could have a major impact on civilian tasks, including transportation, communication, agriculture, disaster mitigation and environment preservation. Autonomous flight in confined spaces presents great scientific and technical challenges owing to the energetic cost of staying airborne and to the perceptual intelligence required to negotiate complex environments. We identify scientific and technological advances that are expected to translate, within appropriate regulatory frameworks, into pervasive use of autonomous drones for civilian applications.

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Figure 1: Autonomous drones in rescue situations.
Figure 2: Drone types with examples.
Figure 3: Flight time against mass of small (less than 1 kg) drones.

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Acknowledgements

D.F. and R.J.W. thank the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, where this Review was written. D.F. also thanks the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National Centre of Competence in Research Robotics.

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  1. Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 11, Lausanne, CH 1015, Switzerland

    Dario Floreano

  2. Microrobotics Lab, Harvard University, 149 Maxwell Dworkin Building, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Robert J. Wood

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Correspondence to Dario Floreano.

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Floreano, D., Wood, R. Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones. Nature 521, 460–466 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14542

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