TOMSK, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian scientists have developed a new aircraft control system, which could be used by drones to monitor wildfires and deliver critical humanitarian aid, a representative of the team that designed the system told RIA Novosti Thursday.
Scientists from the city of Izhevsk presented their system with artificial intelligence for the multi-engined drones, called quadracopters, at an ongoing scientific conference in the Siberian city Tomsk.
"We are working on a system that allows controlling several robots simultaneously ... which lets the operator control groups of robots," Alexey Pervushin said, a member of the project, a collaboration between the Izhevsk State Technical University and the Global Storage Technology company.
"There is no equivalent technology at the moment, they use the old scheme: one drone plus one operator," Pervushin added.
The programmable system could be used for a wide variety of tasks.
"Quadracopters can track objects and monitor situations. The operator just gives them a task, they take off, hold a course in a given direction, find the object and transport the video stream to the operator. They can also deliver cargo," said Pervushin.
According to Pervushin, the system could be adapted to different types of robots.
"It's suitable for robots that drive, swim and fly. We use technologies such as laser rangefinders and 3D cameras," said the scientist.
Pervushin noted that the project was launched thanks to the START Foundation, a Russian program that finances far-reaching science and technology projects. The project has already received one million rubles ($28,000) and is planned to be completed within two years.
