Prediction: AI hardware will be used in a future DJI drone in 2024

[Droning on and on...]

I expect AI will get much safer than a human who is limited to visual line of sight from operator to drone.

What I want is the ability to fly FPV manually with an AI acting as a safety shield, preventing the drone from crashing into anything no matter what I do, and still letting me get within a hair's breadth of crashing.

AI can't defy physics, nor can it see what can't see. The exact same reasons for a VO still would apply.

Now, if you're thinking of an FPV drone with 360 spherical OA cameras, that's a different proposition.

 

[Dangerly]

AI can't defy physics, nor can it see what can't see. The exact same reasons for a VO still would apply.

Now, if you're thinking of an FPV drone with 360 spherical OA cameras, that's a different proposition.

You're right.

An example would better explain it. I like to swoop through open barns with FPV at high speed. When you're entering the barn at high speed, there's no way to tell whether there's an open exit in the back. If I know ahead of time and I know the area is clear of hazards, I can do this move safely. I want the drone to figure out what I'm trying to do, swoop in through an open door and then see that I'm aiming for a small open window in the back that's just big enough to get through, and even though I lack the skill to pull that off, the drone can do it.

And if for some reason that small window in the back isn't open, we crash because there's no defying physics.

 

[mavic3usa]

You're right.

An example would better explain it. I like to swoop through open barns with FPV at high speed. When you're entering the barn at high speed, there's no way to tell whether there's an open exit in the back. If I know ahead of time and I know the area is clear of hazards, I can do this move safely. I want the drone to figure out what I'm trying to do, swoop in through an open door and then see that I'm aiming for a small open window in the back that's just big enough to get through, and even though I lack the skill to pull that off, the drone can do it.

And if for some reason that small window in the back isn't open, we crash because there's no defying physics.

This is a good example but I would say AI would "look ahead" and try to see if there is an opening on the other side of that barn even thought the pilot cannot tell right away. AI know the difference between the inside of a barn and the outside so it knows if you can make it thru before you even enter. Perhaps it saw the other side of the barn earlier when you flying around outside at few minutes ago. So AI would slow you down to prevent a crash because it knows you prefer to prevent a crash rather than taking your chances (having fun with it).

And if AI is really good, it knows the make and model of that barn so it knows the most likely configuration to even have a backdoor or window. Checking the barn owner's records for farm vehicles and equipment that would housed in a barn and then seeing what is inside the barn when you enter tells AI if the owner has likely left the doors opened or not. Factoring in time or day and the season of the year tells AI if the windows might be open and if conditions are best to see an opening or not. All at the same time building a running record and comparing it to other drones, cars, equipment, iphones, and any other AI-enabled and smart devices that may have flown, walked, passed, or traveled thru that barn to see what is likely. And in a split second, you either fly right thru that barn or AI takes over and turns your drone around telling you that's not a good idea. And if you don't care for it because that's no fun, you can dial down AI sensitivity to your liking.....

 

[wco81]

You're right.

An example would better explain it. I like to swoop through open barns with FPV at high speed. When you're entering the barn at high speed, there's no way to tell whether there's an open exit in the back. If I know ahead of time and I know the area is clear of hazards, I can do this move safely. I want the drone to figure out what I'm trying to do, swoop in through an open door and then see that I'm aiming for a small open window in the back that's just big enough to get through, and even though I lack the skill to pull that off, the drone can do it.

And if for some reason that small window in the back isn't open, we crash because there's no defying physics.

I don't know that I'd trust AI in that scenario either.

Tesla and others are betting on computer vision solely to make self-driving cars. But there have been very unfortunate incidents of their system not detecting objects and identifying them correctly, like driving right into a tractor trailer and decapitating the driver because it got confused by seeing road ahead under the tractor trailer but didn't see that the raised trailer was an obstacle to avoid.

Other companies use LIDAR and other sensors to complement cameras but that involves computing differences in sensor inputs in real-time, which requires a lot of computing power. That is not going to be in some $2000 drone flying on a battery.

 

[Torque]

I don't know that I'd trust AI in that scenario either.

Tesla and others are betting on computer vision solely to make self-driving cars. But there have been very unfortunate incidents of their system not detecting objects and identifying them correctly, like driving right into a tractor trailer and decapitating the driver because it got confused by seeing road ahead under the tractor trailer but didn't see that the raised trailer was an obstacle to avoid.

Other companies use LIDAR and other sensors to complement cameras but that involves computing differences in sensor inputs in real-time, which requires a lot of computing power. That is not going to be in some $2000 drone flying on a battery.

That just happened here in the Seattle area a week ago. A Tesla was in auto drive on the 405 while the "driver" was looking at his phone, the car ran down and killed a motorcyclist traveling in the lane in front of him.

 

[Dangerly]

I don't know that I'd trust AI in that scenario either.

Tesla and others are betting on computer vision solely to make self-driving cars. But there have been very unfortunate incidents of their system not detecting objects and identifying them correctly, like driving right into a tractor trailer and decapitating the driver because it got confused by seeing road ahead under the tractor trailer but didn't see that the raised trailer was an obstacle to avoid.

Other companies use LIDAR and other sensors to complement cameras but that involves computing differences in sensor inputs in real-time, which requires a lot of computing power. That is not going to be in some $2000 drone flying on a battery.

Just to clarify, the whole context of this thread is the future, so we're not talking about present-day technology. You might argue we'll never get there, but that's a different argument I think.

 

[AnzacJack]

An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war

An AI-powered fighter jet took the Air Force’s leader for a historic ride. Here's what that means for war.

apnews.com

 

[InspectorTom]

Personally, I'd like my drone to have the ability to teleport, time travel, and make me a cup of coffee. I'm greedy though. On a serious note, Skydio drones (X10) appears to have AI built in for accident avoidance. I could be wrong though, and often am.

 

[Dangerly]

Personally, I'd like my drone to have the ability to teleport, time travel, and make me a cup of coffee. I'm greedy though. On a serious note, Skydio drones (X10) appears to have AI built in for accident avoidance. I could be wrong though, and often am.

Well, you're wrong about being wrong, because you're right!