Dutch turn to birds and bees to inspire drone swarm research

Dutch turn to birds and bees to inspire drone swarm research. — AFP

Dutch scientists have unveiled the country’s first laboratory to research how autonomous miniature drones can mimic insects to accomplish tasks ranging from finding gas leaks in factories to search-and-rescue missions.

Called the Swarming Lab, researchers at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) say they aim to put a "self-flying" swarm of 100 tiny drones in the air, able to perform around the clock tasks.