Published on 09/16/2008
History is made as a four-foot-long helicopter relied on artificial intelligence (AI) to fly itself over Stanford University in California yesterday without any pilot. This is groundbreaking news as it shows the possibility of using such technology to scout out wildfires or playing a military role without endangering the life of anyone in the army. The helicopters themselves are guided by a ground-based computer, and they do not lack the agility which their full-sized cousins have. Each helicopter will retail for approximately $4,000, and they will feature an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer that will go a long way in determining its position and acceleration.