Scientists Test Drone Reaction Speed with Basketball

A Ghost drone by Ehang flies at the 2015 International CES outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2015, in Las Vegas | AFP
A Ghost drone by Ehang flies at the 2015 International CES outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2015, in Las Vegas | AFP
TT
20

Scientists Test Drone Reaction Speed with Basketball

A Ghost drone by Ehang flies at the 2015 International CES outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2015, in Las Vegas | AFP
A Ghost drone by Ehang flies at the 2015 International CES outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2015, in Las Vegas | AFP

Researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a new quadcopter drone equipped with a new camera and customized algorithms that cut the reaction time down to just a few milliseconds- enough to avoid a ball thrown at it from a short distance.

Drones can do many things, but avoiding obstacles is not their strongest suit yet, especially when they move quickly.

Although many flying robots are equipped with cameras that can detect obstacles, it typically takes from 20 to 40 milliseconds for the drone to process the image and react. But, this research has addressed this challenge by developing a drone capable of avoiding objects from a three-meter distance and traveling at 10 meters per second.

In their tests, the researchers used a basketball to measure the efficiency of the new drone. They throw the ball from a short distance at the drone, which managed to avoid it. The results of the experiments were announced in the Science Robotics journal.

According to a report released by the University's website on March 19, the new drone will use the so-called "event cameras" after the researchers invented new algorithms that work with it.

Traditional video cameras, such as the ones found in every smartphone, work by regularly taking snapshots of the whole scene. This is done by exposing the pixels of the image all at the same time. This way, a moving object can only be detected after all the pixels have been analyzed by the on-board computer.

Event cameras, on the other hand, have smart pixels that work independently of each other. The pixels that detect no changes remain silent, while the ones that see a change in light intensity immediately send out the information. This means that only a tiny fraction of all pixels of the image will need to be processed by the onboard computer, therefore speeding up the computation a lot.



Pope Leo Warns Politicians of the Challenges Posed by AI

This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)
TT
20

Pope Leo Warns Politicians of the Challenges Posed by AI

This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)

Pope Leo warned politicians on Saturday of the challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), addressing its potential impact on younger people as a prime concern.

Speaking at an event attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and parliamentary delegations from 68 countries, Leo revisited a topic that he has raised on a number of occasions during the first few weeks of his papacy.

"In particular, it must not be forgotten that artificial intelligence functions as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them or even to replace them," Leo said at an event held as part of the Roman Catholic Jubilee or Holy Year.

AI proponents say it will speed up scientific and technological progress and help people to carry out routine tasks, granting them more time to pursue higher-value and creative work.

The US-born pontiff said attention was needed to protect "healthy, fair and sound lifestyles, especially for the good of younger generations."

He noted that AI's "static memory" was in no way comparable to the "creative, dynamic" power of human memory.

"Our personal life has greater value than any algorithm, and social relationships require spaces for development that far transcend the limited patterns that any soulless machine can pre-package," he said.

Leo, who became pope in May, has spoken previously of the threat posed by AI to jobs and has called on journalists to use it responsibly.