New Blog: Flying on Auto Pilot at the Edge
Small drones – referred to as nano-drones or micro-drones – have become much more common, capable, and less expensive. In the US, the FAA allows licensed UAV pilots to fly drones under 250g over people without advance permission. That regulation has opened the door for applications in urban areas like news reporting, traffic monitoring, construction inspection, recreation, and others.
But, today, all these uses require active control by a human pilot. At the Living Edge Lab, we believe that many more applications would be possible if these tiny drones – like their larger brethren – could be made to fly autonomously. This idea was the origin of our SteelEagle project. SteelEagle uses edge computing to supplement the limited computing capabilities of these tiny devices..
Imagine a mission to send a drone to a bridge, fly around it, record the condition of the key bridge components, and compare that condition with previous inspections -- all while avoiding obstacles (like running into the bridge itself!) and dealing with wind, traffic, and other disturbances. This mission is an ideal SteelEagle scenario.