Mini UAVs Get Even Smarter

Researchers at the University of Tubingen in Germany have developed a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle that can automatically take off from, track and land on a moving carrier vehicle.

Using simple consumer hardware—including a Wii remote infrared camera—the UAV tracks the pattern of four LEDs on the carrier vehicle. It detects its position and orientation by gauging the distortion in the camera image.

The result is an amazingly intelligent—and yet deceptively simple—artificially intelligent mini-helicopter that can always find its way home.