The team performed extensive evaluations with both simulated environments and real-world flight tests using a custom built quadrotor platform. Field tests included environments such as a cave in Kentucky and underneath a forest canopy. All navigation tasks were performed autonomously onboard the quadrotor equipped with an NVIDIA Orin AGX and forward-facing depth camera. During flight trials, over 500 meters of terrain were covered at speeds up to 6 meters per second.

The implications of the team’s research extend beyond academic achievement, with potential applications in disaster response, military operations and urban safety. By addressing real-world challenges in robotics, the work underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in achieving technological breakthroughs.

The full paper provides an in-depth presentation of the team’s findings. The accompanying video demonstrates the technology in action.