Drone obstacle avoidance in 2003: 264 pixels and 8-bit processors

Figure 1: (left) Foam drone with optical flow sensor mounted under a wing, Summer 2001. (right) Foam drone with optical flow sensors for attempted obstacle avoidance, Summer 2002. Today it is universally acknowledged that drones operating close to the ground need some sort of obstacle avoidance. What I am about to tell is the story of our own first attempt at putting obstacle avoidance on a drone, during the years 2001 through 2003, using neuromorphic artificial insect vision hardware. I enjoy telling this story, since the lessons learned run contrary to even current practice but, upon reflection, should be common sense. I learned an important lesson that is still relevant today: The best results are obtained with a systemic approach in which the drone and any obstacle avoidance hardware are holistically co-…

From http://diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:BlogPost:3973222

from
https://worldbydrone.wordpress.com/2020/03/20/drone-obstacle-avoidance-in-2003-264-pixels-and-8-bit-processors/