Obstacle avoidance

Researchers have found a way to streamline the computational algorithms needed for a drone to map its surroundings, giving an autonomous aircraft a newfound ability to avoid obstacles at high speeds.

How drones can be made to avoid crashing into stuff is a question that has long plagued the technology. But the world's largest drone maker DJI says it has now developed a solution. Called Guidance, its obstacle avoidance system integrates with its new developer-focused Matrice 100 quadcopter.

Maybe not as glamorous as drones that go faster or shoot beautiful images, but making them less likely to crash into objects is still critical to advancing the technology. Startup Panoptes' answer to this is a kit that can be slapped onto certain consumer drones to stop them running into things.

The UAE's international Drones For Good competition seeks to emphasise the positive capabilities of drones and on Saturday, a team of Swiss technologists took out first prize with a vehicle that flies protected by a spinning cage, helping it to better travel through confined spaces.