Researchers in CSAIL’s Robust Robotics Group have developed a robotic helicopter with an on-board camera and laser scanner that is capable of flying inside buildings or other GPS-denied environments to map the local environment.
Although the video of the helicopter (below) talks about search-and-rescue and civil engineering applications, some people have been skeptical. A commenter on Slashdot noted, “It brings somewhat scary reminders of Minority Report to my head. How long till I see one of these chasing me down a dark alley?” Yet another commenter on TechTV wondered, “Cool, but can it kill zombies?”
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Slice of MIT by the Alumni Association 
October 20, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Hey you guys,
You’ve done some amazign work, very useful in my comprehensive disaster management and civil engineering design, planning and dynamic mapping and reconfiguring “diaster needs assessments”.
One can easily see other applications, questions immediately arise re: wind and visabilty conditions.
Have you mapped (GIS) anything using this device, yet?
My best,
Jonathan Stevens
Senior Technical Advisor
The World Bank
Class of ’86
Course 1
jonathanstens@alum.mit.edu
mobile phone 202 415 9437
October 28, 2009 at 5:59 pm
This was always what the Stata Center begged for — robots that could inhabit all that open ceiling space.
October 29, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I fly RC heli’s for fun but hate the wind. What is the possibility of getting some insights into your design. I love the stability of your platform for indoor flying and want to build one.