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Swarm technology
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Boeing recently achieved a “swarm technology” milestone after completing successful flight tests of dissimilar unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the rugged terrain of eastern Oregon, USA. Swarm technology can be likened to the way in which insects communicate and perform tasks as an intelligent group.
In this test, the UAVs – two ScanEagles manufactured by Boeing subsidiary Insitu and one Procerus Unicorn from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – worked together to search the test area through self-generating waypoints and terrain mapping while simultaneously sending information to teams on the ground. “This is a milestone in UAV flight,” said Boeing’s Gabriel Santander. “The test team proved that these unmanned aircraft can collect and use data while communicating with each other to support a unified mission. This swarm technology may one day be used for search-andrescue missions or identifying enemy threats ahead of ground patrols.”
