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Drone With No GPS Generates Fastest Path and Avoids Obstacles, Uses Google Maps Algorithm

Fully autonomous drones that can generate the fastest route, avoid obstacles and figure out where they are without using GPS can be very useful. Such an aircraft can be deployed indoors, in narrow places with unknown obstacles that the drone can’t simply fly over, or in areas where there is no GPS signal and the drone has to plan its path. This guy built a drone that can do all of the above, using a Google Maps algorithm.
Nicholas Rehm fully autonomous drone with no GPS and Google Maps Algorithm 6 photos
Photo: Nicholas Rehm/YouTube
Nicholas Rehm fully autonomous drone with no GPS uses Google Maps AlgorithmNicholas Rehm fully autonomous drone with no GPS uses Google Maps AlgorithmNicholas Rehm fully autonomous drone with no GPS uses Google Maps AlgorithmNicholas Rehm fully autonomous drone with no GPS uses Google Maps AlgorithmNicholas Rehm fully autonomous drone with no GPS uses Google Maps Algorithm
This is not the first time we bump into one of Nicholas Rehm's creations. The guy is a full-time aerospace engineer with a passion for building and improving VTOLs (vertical take-off and landing) and other types of flying devices. We already covered one of his projects a few months ago, writing a piece on his unique cyclocopter, which uses cycloidal rotor propulsion to fly. What that means is that the rotors of the aircraft rotate around the horizontal axis and not the vertical one, as is the case with most VTOLs.

Now the ingenious engineer captivates our attention with another special build: a drone that uses an algorithm like the one used in Google Maps to find the fastest route in traffic. His fully autonomous aircraft has an onboard computer brain, camera for eyes and requires no radio connection to the ground, which makes it immune to jamming. The variation of the aforementioned algorithm helps the drone generate the fastest path around unknown obstacles that it detects in mid-flight.

This is a big improvement over conventional drones that can only fly from one given point to the next, with no real perception of the world around them. You have to manually load the waypoints and create the flight plan because they rely on your constant indications, every step of the way.

Nick Rehm thoroughly explains his entire building process in his YouTube video (you can watch it below), and if you don’t feel like going through all the techy steps, go ahead and jump to minute 09:47 for the complete demo.

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About the author: Cristina Mircea
Cristina Mircea profile photo

Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
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