Sound-guided drones can fly where cameras fail to operate

The drones can fly through smoke and dust. Pic/Special Arrangement

Inspired by the way birds and bats navigate complex environments, researchers are developing sound-based navigation for small aerial robots. The project aims to enable drones to operate in smoke, dust, and darkness where traditional cameras and light sensors fail, for search, rescue, and hazardous environment missions. So far, research has focused on vision-based autonomy for aerial robots, emulating how humans rely on sight.

However, in challenging conditions such as fog, smoke, or total darkness, light-based sensors lose effectiveness. To overcome these limitations, the team is exploring bio-inspired echolocation, drawing from how bats use ultrasonic sound waves to sense their surroundings. The goal of the project is to develop tiny airborne robots that can navigate independently using sound rather than visual cues.

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