{"id":16107,"date":"2015-01-02T20:18:38","date_gmt":"2015-01-02T20:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2015\/01\/02\/darpa-uavs-would-be-fast-light-and-fly-themselves\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:34:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:34:46","slug":"darpa-uavs-would-be-fast-light-and-fly-themselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/intercepts\/2015\/01\/02\/darpa-uavs-would-be-fast-light-and-fly-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"DARPA UAVs Would Be Fast, Light and Fly Themselves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The Pentagon&#8217;s advanced R&#038;D arm wants to help drones fly the crowded skies\u2014using a new class of algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbo.gov\/index?s=opportunity&amp;mode=form&amp;id=9c1c5d5498bb3a8dea20c94f6189d360&amp;tab=core&amp;_cview=1\" title=\"https:\/\/www.fbo.gov\/index?s=opportunity&amp;mode=form&amp;id=9c1c5d5498bb3a8dea20c94f6189d360&amp;tab=core&amp;_cview=1\">announced<\/a><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">last<\/span> Dec. 23 that it is seeking an algorithm, or software &#8220;brain,&#8221; aimed at high-speed aerial navigation in cluttered environments as part of its Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Birds and flying insects maneuver easily at high speeds near obstacles,&#8221; DARPA&#8217;s solicitation notes. &#8220;The FLA program asks the question &#8216;How can autonomous flying robotic systems achieve similar high-speed performance?'&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DARPA envisions such a system performing reconnaissance in areas previously considered denied, such as a protected or structurally damaged building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But such technology could have applications off the battlefield. The solicitation came a month after an FAA <a href=\"http:\/\/graphics8.nytimes.com\/packages\/other\/business\/FAA_drone_data.xlsx\" title=\"http:\/\/graphics8.nytimes.com\/packages\/other\/business\/FAA_drone_data.xlsx\">report leaked<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/blogs\/bits\/2014\/11\/26\/new-f-a-a-report-tallies-drone-sightings-highlighting-safety-issues\/?action=click&amp;contentCollection=Technology&amp;module=RelatedCoverage&amp;region=Marginalia&amp;pgtype=article&amp;_r=0&amp;referrer=\" title=\"http:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/blogs\/bits\/2014\/11\/26\/new-f-a-a-report-tallies-drone-sightings-highlighting-safety-issues\/?action=click&amp;contentCollection=Technology&amp;module=RelatedCoverage&amp;region=Marginalia&amp;pgtype=article&amp;_r=0&amp;referrer=\"><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">leaked<\/span><\/a> that <a href=\"http:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/blogs\/bits\/2014\/11\/26\/new-f-a-a-report-tallies-drone-sightings-highlighting-safety-issues\/?action=click&amp;contentCollection=Technology&amp;module=RelatedCoverage&amp;region=Marginalia&amp;pgtype=article&amp;_r=0&amp;referrer=\" title=\"http:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/blogs\/bits\/2014\/11\/26\/new-f-a-a-report-tallies-drone-sightings-highlighting-safety-issues\/?action=click&amp;contentCollection=Technology&amp;module=RelatedCoverage&amp;region=Marginalia&amp;pgtype=article&amp;_r=0&amp;referrer=\"><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">which <\/span>detailed nearly 200 safety incidents involving commercial drones<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">,<\/span> and commercial aircraft, and days ahead of the FAA&#8217;s safety <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/knowbeforeyoufly.org\/\" title=\"http:\/\/knowbeforeyoufly.org\/\">campaign<\/a> for the holiday hot-seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DARPA&#8217;s technology would take actually take the pilot out of the equation. Remote-controlled unmanned aerial systems for the most part rely on a skilled pilot, on-board sensors and reliable signals between the pilot man and platform. Alternatively, a drone could use pre-determined way-points, but that approach depends on GPS signals, which can fail indoors or be jammed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modeled after the capabilities of a bird, these drones in the final demonstration would have to fly for ten minutes, travel at 45 miles per hour, fly as far as a kilometer, use a 20-watt computer and use no communications after the initial &#8220;go&#8221; command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency is offering $5.5 million in research funding. Phase 1, from mid 2015 to mid 2017, is focused on an an outdoor slalom course, the inside of a warehouse and indoor offices. Before wrapping up at the end of 2018, Phase 2 would tackle doors and windows, the bane of real birds everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Email: jgould@defensenews.com.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pentagon&#8217;s advanced R&#038;D arm, DARPA wants to help drones fly the crowded skies\u2014using a new class of algorithms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":29456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":68,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[68,17,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-16107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intercepts","category-opinion","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YO4FBNZFM5HKNN5VMEGZ5KWNIU","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/intercepts\/2015\/01\/02\/darpa-uavs-would-be-fast-light-and-fly-themselves\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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