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Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones

Author

Listed:
  • Dario Floreano

    (Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • Robert J. Wood

    (Microrobotics Lab, Harvard University)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Dario Floreano & Robert J. Wood, 2015. "Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones," Nature, Nature, vol. 521(7553), pages 460-466, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:521:y:2015:i:7553:d:10.1038_nature14542
    DOI: 10.1038/nature14542
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    Cited by:

    1. Schniederjans, Dara G. & Curado, Carla & Khalajhedayati, Mehrnaz, 2020. "Supply chain digitisation trends: An integration of knowledge management," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
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    3. Ghada Talat Alhothali & Felix T. Mavondo & Bader A. Alyoubi & Haneen Algethami, 2024. "Consumer Acceptance of Drones for Last-Mile Delivery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-21, June.
    4. Zhu, Xun & Pasch, Timothy J. & Bergstrom, Aaron, 2020. "Understanding the structure of risk belief systems concerning drone delivery: A network analysis," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    5. Frederiksen, Marianne Harbo & Wolf, Patricia & Klotz, Ute, 2024. "Citizen visions of drone uses and impacts in 2057: Far-future insights for policy decision-makers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    6. Fügener, A. & Grahl, J. & Gupta, A. & Ketter, W., 2019. "Cognitive challenges in human-AI collaboration: Investigating the path towards productive delegation," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2019-003-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    7. Yunus Emre Ayözen, 2023. "Statistical Optimization of E-Scooter Micro-Mobility Utilization in Postal Service," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-25, January.
    8. David Reiser & Galibjon M. Sharipov & Gero Hubel & Volker Nannen & Hans W. Griepentrog, 2023. "Development and Experimental Validation of an Agricultural Robotic Platform with High Traction and Low Compaction," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, July.
    9. Yandong Xiao & Xiaokang Lei & Zhicheng Zheng & Yalun Xiang & Yang-Yu Liu & Xingguang Peng, 2024. "Perception of motion salience shapes the emergence of collective motions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    10. Kai Fukami & Kunihiko Taira, 2023. "Grasping extreme aerodynamics on a low-dimensional manifold," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Kloster, Konstantin & Moeini, Mahdi & Vigo, Daniele & Wendt, Oliver, 2023. "The multiple traveling salesman problem in presence of drone- and robot-supported packet stations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 305(2), pages 630-643.
    12. Gupta, Shaphali & Leszkiewicz, Agata & Kumar, V. & Bijmolt, Tammo & Potapov, Dmitriy, 2020. "Digital Analytics: Modeling for Insights and New Methods," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 26-43.
    13. Wang, Ning & Mutzner, Nico & Blanchet, Karl, 2023. "Societal acceptance of urban drones: A scoping literature review," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    14. Emanuele Aucone & Christian Geckeler & Daniele Morra & Lucia Pallottino & Stefano Mintchev, 2024. "Synergistic morphology and feedback control for traversal of unknown compliant obstacles with aerial robots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    15. Ilona Kulikovskikh & Sergej Prokhorov & Tomislav Lipić & Tarzan Legović & Tomislav Šmuc, 2019. "BioGD: Bio-inspired robust gradient descent," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, July.
    16. Gonzalo Fernandez-Sanchez & Alvaro Fernandez-Heredia, 2018. "Strategic Thinking for Sustainability: A Review of 10 Strategies for Sustainable Mobility by Bus for Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    17. Stöcker, Claudia & Bennett, Rohan & Koeva, Mila & Nex, Francesco & Zevenbergen, Jaap, 2022. "Scaling up UAVs for land administration: Towards the plateau of productivity," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    18. Jianwei Sun & Koichi Yonezawa & Eiji Shima & Hao Liu, 2023. "Integrated Evaluation of the Aeroacoustics and Psychoacoustics of a Single Propeller," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-23, January.
    19. Hongbo He & Xiaohan Liao & Huping Ye & Chenchen Xu & Huanyin Yue, 2023. "Data-Driven Insights into Population Exposure Risks: Towards Sustainable and Safe Urban Airspace Utilization by Unmanned Aerial Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-20, August.
    20. Yuanhao Chen & Cristian Valenzuela & Xuan Zhang & Xiao Yang & Ling Wang & Wei Feng, 2023. "Light-driven dandelion-inspired microfliers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    21. Christian Wankmüller & Christian Truden & Christopher Korzen & Philipp Hungerländer & Ewald Kolesnik & Gerald Reiner, 2020. "Optimal allocation of defibrillator drones in mountainous regions," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 42(3), pages 785-814, September.

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