The 'aracnocóptero' conquering the sky

After two years of work, researchers at the University of Salamanca and the company have developed Arborea 'aracnocóptero', a spider-shaped device that enables pilotless flight and is equipped with cameras and sensors for different data. The platform consists of the aircraft, a block-based communications and control consists of a very rugged tablet computer and type a command such as video games. The operation is very simple and can be used to monitor military operations or conduct digital mapping , for example. In the market there are many similar systems, called UAV (stands for  unmanned aerial vehicle ), but the 'aracnocóptero' has more features advanced, allowing a vertical takeoff and carry loads of up to 3 kg, can be dismantled and transported in small bags.

It also allows an outstanding flight stability compared with other devices of this type, which vibrate too much to take precise images. The batteries, today, they hold about 40 minutes. The 'aracnocóptero', made ​​of titanium and carbon , is very resistant, has a camera that shoots his own flight and multiple sensors: pressure to control their height, a sonar to facilitate automatic takeoffs and landings, gyroscopes, magnetometers and accelerometers to gain stability. And with GPS are given automatic flight patterns for execution and the information is displayed on the user interface. In addition, the communications protocols used to manage aracnocóptero are digital , with a theoretical range of 100 kilometers under optimal conditions.

"With digital radio waves, we have all the information in real time on the tablet, where we see the video and the position of the device on a map," says Carlos Bernabeu, founder of Arborea, a company located in the University Science Park of Salamanca. The researchers working in artificial intelligence system in order to mimic the communication model of social species such as birds or swarms of bees to establish intelligent flight patterns with groups of these devices.

For example, "if we radioactivity, and deploy multiple devices communicate with each other through this digital protocol, everyone knows where the others and act to cover areas without overlapping. If one detects radioactivity, others go for appropriate measures, "said Bernabeu. This multi-agent system mimics the gregarious animal models, since "the logic diagrams are the same."