Purdue's autonomous drone tracks runners through dense forests with no GPS or cloud
andrewkuznet · x · 2026-10-26
Purdue University's IDEAS Lab built an autonomous drone that tracks runners through dense forests without GPS or cloud networks. It runs 3D LiDAR mapping and obstacle-avoidance AI entirely on-chip, weaving under tree canopies and predicting target movement through blind spots in real time — with major implications for next-gen search & rescue and edge AI.
Related event: Purdue's GPS-Free Drone Tracks Runners Through Forests with Onboard LiDAR(3 posts)→
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