The astounding athletic power of quadcopters | Raffaello D'Andrea
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
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In a robot lab at TEDGlobal, Raffaello D'Andrea demos his flying quadcopters: robots that think like athletes, solving physical problems with algorithms that help them learn. In a series of nifty demos, D'Andrea show drones that play catch, balance and make decisions together -- and watch out for an I-want-this-now demo of Kinect-controlled quads.
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This is an expression of a high level of control theory, physics, and embedded programming. Marvellous engineering!
This was in 2013!! Honestly, this is why we need to keep ourselves informed about this while informing others so that amazing things like this get more public knowledge and therefore a bigger budget
2022 now lol
Awesome live demo of quadcopters + modeling algos
Lool
Revisiting this in 2022 and I can still say this is absolutely incredible. I am now a master's student specializing in control systems and my lab especially work with drones but what they are doing in this video still feels far-fetched for my current capabilities. The algorithms they are running onboard is truly remarkable. I am really interested in how they derived the mathematical model of the dynamic system so as to manipulate the drones to do what they want (system identification or physics first principles?). Also, as he said at the end about the students to look out for them, I at least know about one of them, Dario Brescianini who went on to create Omnicopter. This is extremely inspiring as a control engineering student. Thank you so much!
hi orangedurito, have you become a flat earther yet?
@@flat-earther wat, lol
@@xxxxxxch04xxxxxx22 lmaoo
I’m a fpv drone pilot and the drones I fly can do pretty amazing things like flipping through a gap or diving down a waterfall. And speeds up to 120 miles per hour. Drones truly are an amazing new thing.
Do you have content ?
"How did-"
"Mathematical models."
and control theory
Computer generated algorithms
@@jeremyhernandez5534 they're not computer generated....they are thought up by these people...which requires knowledge in kinetics, fluid dynamics, control systems and most importantly differential equasions....and then coded into the controller
is that like sexy numbers?
easy explain to drone maker >>same like by using two gyros
Took 10 years to recommend this video to me....anyone else 2024?
yes
。
I saw it few years ago
Yep
If they had civilian tech like this back then, what does the military have now??
And this is from 8 years ago.
I want to see another one of these with what we have today.
Very impressive!
yeah, one would not belive that is summer 2013. which is 9 years ago by now
we use AI in drones now thanks to raspberry pis getting powerful enough in the last few years to run more complicated OS like windows you can basically make mechanical bugs like wasps that swarm and communicate with modern drones
Check DJI Dock Systems !
This is mind blowing, especially when you have knowledge in control method, microprocessors, image processing and embedded systems. I can't even imagine the work behind these little machines.
+Richard Yang
There must have been so many crashes before they got this right.
+Patchuchan i doubt that , they probably have virtual testing with this type of knowledge!
You just admitted to having KNOWLEDGE of how these things work WHY imagine?NOT LOGICAL
atack of drones
@@jordansnodgrass4659 Yes, there are all kinds of simulation engines like ROS.
these, for me, are some of the most fun kinds of things to engineer. it's so satisfying when painstaking debugging and research into algorithms results in automation.
AS someone growing up as a young kid in the 60s I never envisioned our future would have such technological advances this quickly. But it is 2020 and the year even seems futuristic compared to 1960. I understand we have many more advances then even the population knows about. Incredible times we are living in for sure.
This has been one of my favorite TED talks... EVER. Not only because the content was so amazing, but the speaker deserves a Nobel Prize... simply amazing.
A Nobel Prize??
@@joelw2413 Considering the capabilities of consumer drones today and the level this man was at 9 years ago. Yeah, a Nobel prize sounds about right. The net algorithm alone probably led to countless lives being saved in search and rescue missions.
DJI: wRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN
dji writes down* "use mathematical models"
hahahahaha...I didnt see this comment until I had a full page of comments written down
So true
lol
Dji founded way before this video came out
2020 here and this is still impressive to watch
Fr
2021 here... holy crap!
All I can think is military though
@@dandan6778 Military treats Terminator like a documentary. There's ALWAYS a person in the loop. Even 15 years ago they were super impressed but still very iffy about man portable systems that could fly a set path & return to home on their own. Now that's something you can pickup at your local mall.
2023
I remember first seeing a small but powerful quad copter like 10 something years ago. It truly was nothing like anything at the time. How fast it could turn and maneuver blew my mind. Now they are super normal and I own multiple different types.
Astounding. The power of human intelect and technology made me cry. What a work of art you guys did there
And eventually it will render human intellect inferior and obsolete.
It has been one of the most awesome Talks that I have seen in my life! Great job and even better presentation. It was mesmerising!
That's really awesome.
interested travel interview
consider subscribing to inspire and get inspired
ua-cam.com/video/RUVvOWdQink/v-deo.html
11:48
*THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE*
telekinesis :D
11:48 WOW! He's a Jedi
No hes just german
he is hitler
야생 생존 유투바 와밨습니다,
Loool
I forgot how good this video is! The presenter is fantastic, the brains behind it all are phenomenal. 🤯
This(and his awesome team) guy made these marvellous machines almost 5 years ago, just imagine the progress we've since made. This is why I love robotics and UAVs.
10:15 "These three quads are cooperatively carrying a sky net." *no reaction from the audience*
ikr
Amazing. I love that spin flying technique. The glass of water was so cool. Thank you for this demo.
I first saw this lecture years ago, and WOW it still doesn't disappoint.
A Skynet, you say?
+TheLoopThatIsTheSame Haha I rushed to the comments as soon as he said that.
+Timo Tay same. somehow i knew what the top comment would be.
+TheLoopThatIsTheSame
Hunter-killer incoming!!
skynet is bad
TheLoopThatIsTheSame mentioning Skynet in a machine corporation demonstration, is probably not a good idea.
“These 3 quads are cooperatively carrying a skynet” ..I see what you did there!
that was 6 years ago...
where are we now?
the future is bright, the future is dangerous
Now everyone can buy it in AliExpress for like 500$
ua-cam.com/video/bBb_kSO3vTo/v-deo.html
We are in the age of FPV drones
Now we went from analogic to digital goggles. And cheaper cost to get to FPV as well as ripping motors and transmitters/receivers for very long range. And you can link a hundred or more of drones together so they’ll do tasks collectively perfectly in the air. Machine learning became very present also so the drones could do pretty anything now. They are used by firefighters, military...
@@MachineManGabb FPV drones are just big boy toys and are already considered old tech. The only reason they're so popular now is because the technology has existed long enough to be affordable. You can get a 4k FPV drone with a couple hundred dollars. That's why you see them in a lot of practical applications now. There are enough pilots out there to support an actual industry. The reality is that those pilots were bred out of a good software and technology. The flight controllers got better, dropping the skill gap overall needed to be a pilot. Now, anyone can be a pro FPV racer because the flight controller technology has evolved by a huge magnitude since when this video was made. The tech is getting better, not the pilots.
Today, the real bleeding edge of Drone tech is swarm technology. This same research group already proved that with their last and most recent presentation. Using multiple drones in cooperation to fulfill complicated tasks. There are start ups out there trying to use drone swarms to replace pilots for the cartographic and general surveying they were doing before. There are already two large special events firms using drone swarms to replace conventional fireworks.
The human pilot is obsolete technology, unfortunately.
@@anarchyjinflames I agree with some of the things you are saying, but there is a lack of insight, you should try building an and flying and actual fpv drone before talking about how the technology is super easy and out of time, the escs used for fpv drones are for example way ahead of most other prosumer electronics, also they are not "easy" to fly, that's sort of the point
7 years ago a drone flew at Ted talk. Look what we are doing with them now. Great programming demonstration!
6:50
and every quad enthusiast cried
A desperate villain he is!
Mais de 7 anos depois da postagem, e ainda continua incrivelmente inteligente estes drones.
-Parabéns !!!
Conhece um site que vende?
these are the next generation of rocket scientists. The next generation of unmanned vehicles and machines will change our lives forever.
I'm watching this 7 years later. Drones, or quads, have come a long way.
Who in 2019 is still amazed by this?
no one
I wanna know what they can do now
@@scratchy5238
Not sure about now, but I'm sure in the near future people will be walking around with their small personal drone in follow. It'll become an even bigger annoyance than everyone and their smart phone now. lol
Wtf this is from 2013, I was surprised and I thought it was from 2019!!!!
This technology has existed since the 80’s and is relatively simple algorithms relatively speaking. Brought to the public 30 years later. Imagine what they have NOW. They’ve had and used moscovium (element 115) since the early 80’s With people like Bob Lazar talking about it back then. Although the “discovery” of element 115 is claimed to have been in 2003. Trust me, this element is being used on earth either by us, or some outside force. Probably both.
this dude: "they are inherently unstable, they need some form of automatic feedback control"
any fpv pilot: "hold my beer"
pretty sure fpv drones have gyro control unit in them
@@KompletterGeist they do. But they can still be unstable because of noise (physical and electrical noise) as well as wind and turbulences
HOLD MY BEER
Yup
@8:51 Try to do that with your fpv pilots.
Whenever he does a cool thing with the drones he makes that face like
"I'm such a boss"
This is a masterpiece of engineering. It's really difficult to understand completely the whole thing about control theory and modeling something but you combined all of them in this project. Impressive
物理学运动模型的建立、matlab仿真、控制理论、嵌入式软件的编程。我也很喜欢无人机
Perfect video to show school kids to get them hooked on math.
Instructions unclear. Kids everywhere are now hooked on meth.
10:16 Dude, NEVER mention SKYNET while showcasing cutting-edge technical.😅
Welcome to nerd humor.
I was thinking the same exact thing.
I think 🤔 that it was intentional
I, for one, welcome our computer overlords
😅😅😅
Masterful presentation and demo and easily one of the top 5 TED talks I have ever seen.
I'm from 2022, and revisiting this video when I first saw it in 2013. In 2013, people are still developing the softwares to control quadcopter drones, the world haven't seen anything agile like this, it was amazing. 9 years passed, the world are filled with drones, and it has forever changed the world, especially in the Ukrainian Russian war. Everything has changed.
hi jackychin, have you become a flat earther yet?
Imagine showing this to someone at the Middle Ages lol
Timerºº Exactly
Black magic, sorcery, the evil spirit is with u!
Samuel Yang It's a witch, burn it!
+Timerºº haha
Does it HUUURT?
I would like this 20 times if I could. This is AWESOME!!!
The beauty of math!!! You can make an unstable drone fly like a charm!!! Amazing work
arent all dji drones stable? gps???
Best TED video I've ever seen. This is also the first impression I got about ETH Zurich. Really impressive!
"THEY EVEN CARRY A SKYNET" ???? WHAT DA
am i too drunk or is it really starting , omg i got to sleep
whats a skynet
Ill be back! Terminator.
FlyRC a wonderful AI made by Russia (just kidding
Jaxon Croydon look it up
UA-cam took 8 years to show me the video
Me too... Sad story
*Welcome to how the f**K it was not recommended earlier*
You're not too good in math, are you
@@mikeeru how did you know that 🤔
Who knew it was 2021 Aleady. Wow how time flys
@@murphfee617 thinking the same :)
Robots with a skynet you say... RUN!!!
draganfly is undoubtedly the best drone company!
It is providing support in ukraine by supplying ukrainian people with medicines, insulin and much more.
with this it is increasing its visibility and brand awareness.
has an experienced team and unique technology, currently very underestimated based on its potential!
this is awesome .... how far technology go so far omg!!
Did you see Terminator?
10:17 he said it himself, skynet is coming
this dudes always been ahead of time.
Look how effortlessly the drone is hoverin
This is Magic! Yeah, it took me 7 years to like this video. Amazing stuff!!
Why has youtube been suggesting me this video for like 5 years straight?
I have a feeling, most of people didnt understand heck of what he was saying, just saw "shiny quadcopters"
My fave TED talk, I love being made to feel like a child full of wonder.
Then psilocybin it will be...
If you don't have a degree in computer science:
An Algorithm is almost like a function which includes instructions on how to behave. This "algorithm" can be called when a certain criteria is detected to produce a desired output. In this case, the output takes form of the quadcopter's reaction by stabilizing itself.
Anyone else please feel free to correct me, just trying to offer some fleeting insight.
+sieve5
In this case, it is a process of solving a problem by breaking the problem down(stability) into chunks and tackling them one after the other
I've found a new hobby: juggling quadcopters. On Pluto.
Not with THAT attitude!
It took 8 years of youtube recommendation mathematical model to recommend me this video
7 You mean
7 years later and this video still inspires me everyday
DJI would like to know this man's location.
IP is your location
A Chinese spy, on place, already has improved the DJI drones
Dji founded way before this video came out
Watch and Subscribe for latest videos on recent technology topics to equip your self better for a professional career in IT.
Regards ITshades.com team
ua-cam.com/channels/mfVPKOQ2IMEQQW25P4-IhQ.html
@@TommyTheBraveDummy DJI，2006
Very interesting, just thinking about those algorithms gives me a headache :-)
lol. By luck, I found you here after watching your videos..
There is a book called "How algorithms role the world" must read it
Holako92 I'll add it to my bucket list :-)
Al Gore has no rhythm.
I Googled it. Found no such book. The only similar one I could find was called "Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World". Not sure if that's it.
But I did find a Guardian article with the exact title you mentioned...
heh what?
The world always seems to be changing and I'm glad to be part of the next big change. May Man never stop creating and evolving! Haha
Wow here I am watching this in 2020, seven years after the video was posted, and these amazing quadcopter feats look futuristic. One can only speculate about the evolution of this technology, till date.
proud to be a viewer
It's kind of insane that 8 years ago this was innovative ted talk, and today you can buy drones that can film and broadcast 4k, follow you around, do flips, fly fast and far away, and get wrong cars bombed by the military.
April 2020, and still impressive to watch
absolutely incredible... I have SO MANY QUESTIONS! side note, great that no one physically there is watching this cool stuff through their phone.
983 people disliked?? how could they do that, this was such a nice video :0
Maybe just because they can push that button...
they now what skynet will do to us
+areyoueatingthough know*
I think no mater how good a video is UA-cam puts dislikes on it.
They are from resistance
His face when he’s controlling the drone with a stick... Makes me think of a Bartie Crowch from Harry Potter running Imperium on a spider
This was absolutely amazing!
i love how he's explaining something in the beginning and out of nowhere he death throws it
Wow, it is sooo astonishing. And it’s 7 years ago. I would like to see what they are capable of now!
there are lots af drones that are as impressive if not more impressive than this, ie drones with gimbals, drones that use gps and sattelites, drones a human can fly in, etc 👍
pls add one thing in the drone, avoid the trees
+Jeff z lol, thats all down to your skills man!
+Alex Magee sigh.... i just crash a P3 pro
ohh. that sucks man. But at least now you have an excuse to get an inspire...
+Jeff z
This works by having several cameras up in the ceiling and some fairly powerful computers doing the visual processing.
You can see several Kinects and HD cameras up in the rafters.
The balls on the drones are reference points for the cameras so the computer can see the orientation of each quadcopter.
+Jeff z Checkout the phantom 4.
The one thing I got from this is that when Skynet comes, I need that magic wand.
7 Years back I saw this video and amazed about the engineering I am going to see in the future but now a days we all are fighting to survive on mother earth as COVID-19 is all over the place.
The meaning of life is : an algorithm that runs 50 times a second
42
little did he realize that 6 years later drone racing would be popular
I wanted to clap whenever the crowd did.
It amazes me that this vid was actually uploaded 10 years back.
I remember when I first saw this stuff and I wanted to write my own software and build my own. I looked around and bought a very old frame kit, I eventually got an Rpi style computer for a controller and by the time I finally got motors and tried to begin programming it all flight controllers had become common and drone racing was taking off. I said screw it all I understand the theory and started looking at building. Now I've got a few built that died and one on the bench and now bind and fly's are cheap and seem to be the way to go over building. Finally decide to go the bind and fly route and I see now the whoop class drones are the big thing. Boy time really does fly like crazy once you hit 35+.
John Connor and his soldiers disliked this video
U
Ha
.......and so did Sarah
Excellent comeback....LOL....very very good
Especially the sky net part
May the force be with you 11:46
Even modern DJI drones don't have this level of control.....this dude was making futuristic shieeeeeetttt 8 -10 years ago
youtube is fascinating and scary at the same time , most of the time i see things that can or will someday kill us , new weapons inventions and stuff that look cool in the first place but highly lethal on the second. well maybe its just me .. but i love revolution ... i am really excited for the future , wish i could live forever just to see progress ... or the end
@We the People News That's some optimism that should be printed on the back of a cereal box!
See what this guy is doing with drones. He made a company called verity studios. Truly amazing stuff.
The three quads are collectively carrying.... SKYNET!!! :O
6:25 drone is like: did you say injured? I'm out of here.
He said Sky net, ohh the foreshadowing is unbearable.
Jonathan Billings Ahhh :D i came down to the comments to see if anyone picked up on that :P
(Y)
good job mate ;D
Jeff ersonkid Me too.
8k 5una jh8uu ijjn8junín j
***** Actually you're wrong. You can make the controller either from a computer/server, or right on the device learn (Like the flip he had it do, it improved) and you can train it to do new behaviors. Obviously it would have to follow hard coded commands, but anything the it might store in a text file, or database, or whatever they use for these things can be changed. I could write an AI just as an example... but it would take a while. I have never written a program longer the 1500 lines before.
Jonathan Billings I'm sure that was done on purpose yet not a single person in the audience seemed to pick up on the reference :D
the reactions are priceless
His use of a "sky net" was an unfortunate choice...
Lol..I know right!
Ha! Didn't even make that connection until you said that.
I think it was meant to be a joke, but he no one cottoned on haha
I can't comprehend how nearly a decade later this talk is so astounding.
DJI trying to come up with the mavic 2: “write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN”
yes it is..and i have the DJI Mavic Air 2..Complete smooth amazing Quadcopter..Recomended *****
Casually flying a Mavic 5 years later.
Incredible machines
15:56 the guy is wearing Google glass :D
Yes, what a disappointing product.
and he thinks he was the coolest guy there😂
but he is one of the developer and an Engineer so he is cool👌🏻
Still one of the most impressive tech demos I've seen.
I love how sad everyone was when he clipped the propellers.
They are not just robots and drones... they are friends.
@@FrostWolfNation yes 😍
im so in love with these quadrocopters. wish they were big enough for me to fly in them :D so coool
Soon.
+JE ENN This is similar, www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hoverboard-duru-1.3270569
+JE ENN Wouldn't be a UAV would it
+JE ENN most likely is already
+JE ENN Technically you can use a GoPro or any camera capable of recording 360 video and mount it in a first person view position... You can then use a VR headset to look around :D
I'm doing an internship on UAV designs and hopefully I'll be able to do something similar by the end :)
After 10 years this is still one of the most viewed videos on the channel. It is necessary to remind those who are watching it and who may be laughing that these machines were created for military purposes to kill human beings.
Easy there, joyless qwertyIUD. It is necessary to remind you that your point applies to all technologies - from basic tools to the wheel to computers. Haven't you seen 2001 A Space Odyssey? I think the point you're trying to make is one that we can all agree on - violence and aggression are never acceptably. It's time for our species to evolve past hate and fear. Embrace tolerance and cooperation. Open your mind. Prioritize education and health care for everyone. Work for peace. Demand justice. Choose leaders who understand and value these things. Only then will the aliens trust us enough to be friends.
I would like to see those algorithms!!!!
I bet it's a few couple hundred pages, He said they have millions of lines of Code..
forgottenmemories63 One must rememer that the algorithms are mostly ased of of machine learning, meaning that the coding process isn't as huge of a task as it sounds.
MrFreddfull Oh i see. Well, In that case you might be right, Might not be much.
The force is strong with this one...