Drones

Special Operators Are Getting a New Autonomous Tactical Drone


In the movie Eye in the Sky, a joint U.S.-British military operation puts an insect-sized drone inside the house of a terrorist. The live feed allows the onlookers in Washington, London, and elsewhere to verify the target and collect data that would be inaccessible from a sensor ball mounted on a Predator flying overhead. aSan Diego company called Shield AI is bringing that vision to life.

Taking off with the push of a button, the Shield AI drone flies into a building and autonomously maps its interior using cameras, lasers, and inertial and ultrasonic sensors. Unlike your average off-the-shelf drone, it requires no human piloting and doesn’t need GPS.