Chennai - In a remarkable stride for drone technology, researchers at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Anna University, have developed a groundbreaking airborne-based intelligent autonomous landing system.
This innovative system, recently granted a patent by the Indian Patent Office, empowers mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to accurately pinpoint landing sites in challenging environments based on aerial imagery.
Professor K. Senthil Kumar, Director of the Dr. Kalam Advanced UAV Research Centre at MIT, emphasized the potential of this technology to revolutionize various sectors.
It promises to streamline the delivery of vital supplies to armed forces in remote or inaccessible areas, facilitate emergency relief and rescue operations, and support combat missions with efficient payload delivery.
This breakthrough addresses a significant limitation of existing UAVs, which typically require pre-determined, well-prepared landing zones. The newly developed system, leveraging AI and deep learning algorithms, can identify specific markers like a colored dress or object and safely land on uneven or hilly terrain.
The MIT team has been actively enhancing the capabilities of their UAVs. They currently possess drones capable of transporting 50 kg loads up to 20 km and are striving to increase this capacity to 100 kg with a 50 km range.
Beyond defence applications, this intelligent autonomous landing system holds promise for civilian missions such as healthcare organ/medicine delivery and e-commerce product delivery. Dr. Senthil Kumar highlighted its potential to transform package delivery by overcoming the limitations of traditional airdrop methods.
