As its rivals get busy in developing self-driving cars, Microsoft is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to empower autonomous gliders take decisions while they are aloft and has conducted a successful flight test in the US state of Nevada.According to a report in The New York Times late on Wednesday, Ashish Kapoor, an Indian-origin Principal Researcher at Microsoft, is leading a project in which his team tested two gliders designed to navigate the skies on their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuided by computer algorithms that learned from onboard sensors, predicted air patterns and planned a route forward, these gliders could seek out thermals\u2014columns of rising hot air\u2014and use them to stay aloft,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n
Microsoft plans to build an autonomous aircraft that can eventually ride the air for hours or even days at a time while consuming very little power and help scientists track weather patterns, monitor farm crops or even deliver the internet to places where it is otherwise unavailable.<\/p>\n
According to Mykel Kochenderfer, Stanford University professor of aeronautics and astronautics, Microsoft\u2019s project is a step towards self-driving vehicles \u201cthat are nimble enough to handle all the unexpected behavior that human drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians bring to public roads\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a glider, you can test these algorithms with minimal risk to people and property,\u201d Kochenderfer was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
In the Nevada desert, the team led by Kapoor launched two gliders with help from a hand-held remote control.<\/p>\n
Once airborne, the gliders were left to their own devices. They were forced to fly with help from the wind and other air patterns.<\/p>\n
With the help of algorithms, the gliders analysed the activities surrounding them and then changed directions as need be. They learned from their environment and made educated guesses.<\/p>\n
Microsoft wanted to set record with the flight but after two days of trial, due to problems with radios and other equipment, it did not happen.<\/p>\n
Using similar methods, Google has built high-altitude internet balloons that can stay aloft for months on end.<\/p>\n
Several companies, including Tesla, Google, Uber and Apple are designing cars that can not only drive on their own but also keep people in the surrounding safe.<\/p>\n
IANS<\/p>\n
Picture: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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