It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... a Self-Piloting Helicopter!

At Stanford, a "smart" helicopter learns to fly by watching an expert
By Rachel Durfee Posted 09.03.2008 at 1:30 pm 0 Comments

RC Copter: Photo by iZep (CC licensed)
For many, the word "apprentice" brings to mind the whimsical scene from Disney's Fantasia where Mickey Mouse, the poor peon to the sorcerer, creates a mess of his master's workspace when the brooms and buckets come to life in a magical musical number. The helicopter apprenticeship at Stanford University seems to contain some of the same elements of unrealism, as helicopters learn to fly and execute complex airborne tricks without a human pilot in the cockpit. In this case, however, there is science behind the magic.

Computer scientists at Stanford University have developed an artificial intelligence system that learns to perform in-flight maneuvers by watching human-operated helicopters do the same. Instead of having computer programmers, laymen when it comes to piloting aircraft, labor away translating exact flying instructions into code, the helicopters learn from human experts, in this case, radio control pilot Garett Oku. The scientists had Oku perform a complete airshow multiple times over while they recorded every movement of the helicopter. They then translated those movements into an algorithm that they could "teach" to the robotic helicopter. Numbers, unlike people, don't vary, meaning the robotic helicopter could perform the maneuvers more reliably than Oku.

The recap of a recent test run in Palo Alto sounds like an intricate ballet: The robotic helicopter performed a five-minute airshow, replete with traveling flips, rolls, loops with pirouettes, stall-turns with pirouettes, a knife-edge, an Immelmann, a slapper, an inverted tail slide, and something called a "hurricane." The helicopter was even able to execute the "tic toc," a move in which it hovers side-to-side like a pendulum while its nose points directly upward. Not only is this more than any other robotic helicopter has been able to do previously, it also exceeds the capabilities of a full-scale, human-piloted helicopter.

Though the robot's tricks may seem effortless, there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes, and a lot of risks. A helicopter is an inherently unstable machine. Left without instructions for even a moment, it will tip and crash. This makes the computer code extremely complicated to write. Preliminary tries worked fine for simple moves, but couldn't handle the hurricane. Having the robot copy the exact movements of the joystick when operated by Oku didn't cut it either, since that method couldn't account for unpredictable variables like wind gusts. Eventually, teasing the perfect algorithm from an expert radio control pilot was the solution.

The robotic helicopter, painted in Stanford colors, is a juiced-up version of your standard 'copter, carrying accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers (the latter deduce the direction the helicopter is pointed). With these as well as instruments on the ground, the position, direction, orientation, velocity, acceleration and spin of the helicopter are continuously monitored throughout flight. New flight directions are sent from a lightning-fast ground-based computer to the helicopter via radio at the rate of 20 times per second.

Future applications will likely place these auto-copters straight into the danger zone: searching for land-mines in war zones or informing California firemen of susceptible wildfire spots in real time, so they don't have to rely on information that can be several hours old, as they often do now.

For now, the Stanford apprentice program is making strides (or you could say, loops with pirouettes) towards these goals. If helicopters can careen themselves artfully through the air, then precise robotic mops and brooms can't be too far behind, allowing humans to get back to more pressing activities, like watching the rest of Fantasia.

POPSCI.COM

9/11

Ok Hey Whats Up Um Well I GOnna Confess I Like Obama their i said it but i wouldnt vote because their speeches sound the eact same just a different format so yeah and OBAMA '08!!!!



A 21st Century Military for America“Our country's greatest military asset is the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States. When we do send our men and women into harm's way, we must also clearly define the mission, prescribe concrete political and military objectives, seek out advice of our military commanders, evaluate the intelligence, plan accordingly, and ensure that our troops have the resources, support, and equipment they need to protect themselves and fulfill their mission.”

— Barack Obama, Chicago Foreign Affairs Council, April 23, 2007

Fighting Against Violent Islamic Extremists and Terrorist Tactics

The attacks on September 11th represented more than a failure of intelligence. The tragedy highlighted a failure of national policy to respond to the development of a global terror network hostile to the American people and our values. The 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the 2000 bombing of the USS COLE indicated a growing global terrorist threat before the attacks on New York and Washington. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden's declaration of war against the United States hit home with unmistakable clarity.

America faces a dedicated, focused, and intelligent foe in the war on terrorism. This enemy will probe to find America's weaknesses and strike against them. The United States cannot afford to be complacent about the threat, naive about terrorist intentions, unrealistic about their capabilities, or ignorant to our national vulnerabilities.

In the aftermath of 9/11 John McCain fought for the creation of an independent 9/11 Commission to identify how to best address the terrorist threat and decrease our domestic vulnerability. He fought for the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the creation of the U.S. Northern Command with the specific responsibility of protecting the U.S. homeland.

As President, John McCain will ensure that America has the quality intelligence necessary to uncover plots before they take root, the resources to protect critical infrastructure and our borders against attack, and the capability to respond and recover from a terrorist incident swiftly.

He will ensure that the war against terrorists is fought intelligently, with patience and resolve, using all instruments of national power. Moreover, he will lead this fight with the understanding that to impinge on the rights of our own citizens or restrict the freedoms for which our nation stands would be to give terrorists the victory they seek.

John McCain believes that just as America must be prepared to meet and prevail against any adversary on the field of battle, we must engage and prevail against them on the battleground of ideas. In so doing, we can and must deprive terrorists of the converts they seek and counter their teaching of the doctrine of hatred and despair.

As President, John McCain will take it as his most sacred responsibility to keep America free, safe, and strong - an abiding beacon of freedom and hope to the world.


-John McCain, Hill Billy Of The Year

Boring Day

Hey Whats up people um well i cant stay on long because i got to do Type To Learn 3 which is like real boring which i hate so later!!!!

Labor Day

Yo whats up people of blogger im here to tell you about what I did for labor Day. Ok sense none of my family ever comes around i didnt really spend alot of time with them. I mainly played Halo 3 on XBOX LIVE or Rainbow Six Vegas. I spent most of my time with my brother on Team Doubles owning and taking names. Man you do not wanna face me and my bro when were in our gaming mode. Anyways it was still boring i finally got the maps Ghost Town and Blackout they were wicked especially on infection. Thats all for now Later!!!!!

Mr.Konrade

Heyyy people this post is just a post begging Mr.K for good grades on my blogger be cause i need straight A's This year in order to get a scholar ship at Regis Jesuit High School So plz Mr.k ill will post a blog every day for an A' in your Class Thank you..........................................U Rock Mr. Konrade

In Too Deep

This is a video including my favorite anime and my favorite band this song talks about todays problems and how they are trying to bring us down.

Fat Lip

This is a video who in which talks about high school and etc.