Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Darpa Advances Indoor Capabilities of Quadcopter Drones
Quadcopters flying autonomously in GPS-denied environments could help in urban settings, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency asserts.
A quadcopter self-navigates around boxes under Darpa's Fast Lightweight Autonomy program. (Photo: Joint Base Cape Cod)
A quadcopter self-navigates around boxes under Darpa's Fast Lightweight Autonomy program. (Photo: Joint Base Cape Cod)

In addition to its interest in large and exotic unmanned aircraft, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is further developing the capabilities of small quadcopters that are familiar to drone enthusiasts. Using a DJI Flamewheel F450 platform, researchers last month completed the first flight tests of Darpa’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program, which aims to produce algorithms that would enable small drones to navigate cluttered indoor environments autonomously.