Data on animal movements help Hungarian researchers create a swarm of autonomous drones

Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The scientists at Hungary’s Eötvos Loránd University have been studying group robotics since 2009, and earlier succeeded in creating the world’s first flock of synchronized drones. But now, they’ve taken their discovery to a much larger scale and allowed the machines to take to the skies without pre-programming, moving among themselves in dense traffic using on-board decision-making. The programming models applied to the drones were taken from studies of the movement of animals in large groups, such as flocks of birds and schools of fish. The researchers believe the technology can have broad practical implications. But some observers have voiced concerns that certain applications of autonomous drones, such as for military use, could pose significant dangers.