Drone swarms can now navigate themselves through thick forest

The palm-sized robots were purpose-built, with depth cameras, altitude sensors and an on-board computer. - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP): A swarm of 10 bright blue drones lifts off in a bamboo forest in China, then swerves its way between cluttered branches, bushes and over uneven ground as it autonomously navigates the best flight path through the woods.

The experiment, led by scientists at Zhejiang University, evokes scenes from science fiction -- and the authors in fact cite films such as "Star Wars," "Prometheus" and "Blade Runner 2049" in the opening of their paper published Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics.