New MIT tech helps drones fly in dark using millimeter waves

MIT researchers developed MiFly, a system enabling drones to self-localize in dark, indoor environments using radio waves reflected by a single tag. Two onboard radars measure the drone's position relative to the tag, with data fused by the drone's computer for trajectory estimation. MiFly achieved 7-centimeter accuracy in experiments.

This system offers advantages over GPS, computer vision, or lidar, which can be unreliable in certain conditions. MiFly's single, low-power tag makes it potentially cheaper and easier to implement commercially, enabling autonomous drones to navigate indoor spaces more effectively.