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The Robot Report
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New MIT tech helps drones fly in dark using millimeter waves
- MIT researchers have developed a new approach called MiFly which enables drones to self-localize in indoor, dark, and low-visibility environments using millimeter waves reflected by a single tag.
- MiFly allows drones to determine their position in spaces where GPS, computer vision, or lidar may be unreliable or ineffective.
- The system uses off-the-shelf radars to localize the drone in relation to the tag and estimate its trajectory with high accuracy.
- Researchers conducted numerous flight experiments and consistently achieved localization to within 7 centimeters.
- By utilizing millimeter waves, the system can operate in indoor environments and travel through materials like cardboard and plastic.
- The MiFly system involves backscattered signals reflected by a tag, enabling drones to self-localize efficiently.
- Polarization and modulation techniques are used to differentiate reflections from surrounding environments and the tag, allowing precise location estimation.
- Incorporating the drone's inertial measurement unit helps estimate the drone's six-degree-of-freedom pose accurately and quickly.
- The MiFly system demonstrated consistent high accuracy in various indoor environments and achieved reliable localization estimates even at distances from the tag.
- Future plans include extending the system's capabilities through additional hardware enhancements and incorporating it into autonomous navigation for diverse commercial applications.
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