Autonomous flight

An important step towards autonomous aviation was taken today, as Cirrus Aviation announced "Safe Return" functionality for its G2 Vision jet, which will find the nearest airstrip, alert authorities and land itself in an emergency.

Skydio released an impressive self-flying camera drone in early October that may well take autonomous flight to a whole new level, and in a new purpose-built base station it could soon have the self-charging capabilities to go with it.

Bell has joined the cargo drone space with its APT 70, which has just nailed its first autonomous test flight.

The Volocopter has been given another makeover, resulting in a rounder, cleaner design the company says is the most powerful Volocopter yet.

Scientists at TU Delft have developed what is claimed to be the smallest autonomous racing drone on the planet, a feat that involved some serious innovations in the algorithms that control its flight path. ​

Given how many groups are now developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, it shouldn't come as a surprise that aerospace giant Boeing has been working on some of its own. This Tuesday, one of the prototypes made its first flight.

The potential of drones flying through the sky is well documented, but they also hold great potential for environments deep beneath the Earth's surface. Australian-based startup Emesant is developing drone software focused on the autonomous mapping of mines and tunnels.

​​Describing a helicopter as "optionally piloted" might not do much to comfort those onboard, but this is the future DARPA is aiming for with its Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS).

​German aviation startup Volocopter is one of the more active players in the nascent flying taxi scene. It is continuing to spread its wings, today announcing plans to set up shop in Singapore and kick off test flights next year.

We’re a step closer to having high-altitude, long-endurance, autonomous aircraft soaring through the skies. UAVOS has now announced that a prototype of the company’s High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) ApusDuo aircraft has completed the first stage of flight tests.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego have created robotic gliders that literally fly like an eagle. They use reinforcement learning to determine how to exploit updrafts of warm air, soaring to altitudes of up to 2,300 ft.

Air mobility company SkyRyse has developed an assisted-flight technology for first-responders that will be used to speed up air emergency systems in the town of Tracy, California beginning in January of next year.