TU Delft’s Whiskered Drone Flies Blind in the Dark on 34 KB of Code

TU Delft’s Whiskered Drone Flies Blind in the Dark on 34 KB of Code

A team at the Delft University of Technology has taught a palm-sized drone to find its way through pitch-black rooms the way a rodent does: by touch. Fitted with two artificial whiskers and running every calculation onboard, the aircraft steers along walls in complete darkness using navigation algorithms that occupy just 34 KB of memory. … Read more

US Army Fields Laser-Charged PowerLight ARC Drone at Shaw Air Force Base

US Army Fields Laser-Charged PowerLight ARC Drone at Shaw Air Force Base

In April 2026, the US Army began operating at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina a drone system that carries no batteries, emits no radio-frequency signal and can stay aloft for as long as ground power is available. The platform is called PowerLight ARC, and it keeps unmanned aircraft flying by transmitting energy to … Read more