Unmanned aerial vehicles or Drones as they are popularly known are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes a UAV, a ground-based controller, and a system of communications between the two. Artificial Intelligence is powering drone technology to the next level.
The incorporation of AI enables drone vendors to use data from sensors attached to the drone to collect and implement visual and environmental data. This data enables autonomous or assisted flight, making operation easier, and increasing accessibility.

Hence this week at ‘Conversations on AI’, we take a flight with these drones and cover some interesting stories about AI.

Using artificial intelligence to help drones find people lost in the woods by Tech Xplore

A trio of researchers at Johannes Kepler University has used artificial intelligence to improve thermal imaging camera searches of people lost in the woods. In this new effort, the researchers sought to overcome these problems by using a deep learning application to improve the images that are made. The solution the team developed involved using an AI application to process multiple images of a given area. They compare it to using AI to process data from multiple radio telescopes.

This discovery could herald a new era for search & rescue missions!

Drones using AI to track rare Maui dolphins by Bangkok Post

The New Zealand government is backing a new project that uses drone technology to understand and protect the country's extremely rare and endangered Maui dolphins. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is capable of finding and tracking Maui dolphins using artificial intelligence. The technology has the potential to compile detailed data on the habitats, population size and distribution, and behavior of the dolphins, along with many other types of marine species such as other dolphins, seabirds, and whales.

Protecting and preserving every species is integral & the New Zealand Government is definitely showing the way to the rest of the world.

Drones Vs. Covid-19: Ensuring Airspace Safety And Security With AI by Forbes

AI is the key to analyzing crucial data, such as weather forecasts, ground risks, and vehicle performance; selecting the right drones for each mission; generating the safest flight paths; and autonomously adapting flights as conditions change. Trained to recognize hazardous objects, AI is also critical to detecting and avoiding other aircraft and obstacles that can pose a danger to unmanned flights. An AI-based approach can also help provide the safety and security assurances regulators need when considering waivers for advanced Covid-19 drone missions.

Fighting any global crisis will require drone technology assisted by AI!

Bio-Inspired Drones Read Textures to Improve AI Vision by Interesting Engineering

A team of researchers from TU Delft and the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences developed a new, more effective optical flow-based learning process that estimates distances using the shape, color, and texture of objects. The research teams' new artificial intelligence (AI)-based learning method improves the navigation skills of small drones.

The new method will be particularly relevant for smaller drones with fewer resources!

In the end....

Drones are being used in deliveries, defense, disaster mitigation and so much more. AI technology further enhances the capability of drones. This decade will likely see the potential and decode the power of drone technology in areas we have never seen before.

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