Researchers Develop Drones That Can Link Together In Midair

Developed by researchers at the University of Tokyo, TRADY (Tilted-Rotor-Equipped Aerial Robot with Autonomous In-Flight Assembly and Disassembly Ability – that’s a stretch of an acronym) are modular drones that can link together in midair. Based on their couplers, presumably to procreate and parent a new generation of killer drones. Trust me, I know how this sort of thing goes.

If either one of the drones detects a potential collision, they’ll both back off each other and regroup before attempting another coupling. The researchers say potential applications of the technology include construction and search-and-rescue missions (e.g., supply hand-off and delivery.)

The scientists behind TRADY imagine the robots being small enough to go places a larger drone would be unable to reach, then linking up to accomplish tasks single drones wouldn’t be able to achieve on their own (e.g., heavy lifting). Teamwork! Me? I’m more of a lone wolf myself. Granted, I can never really get anything done on my own and leave most projects less than half finished, but still.

[via TechEBlog]