Microsoft Teaches Autonomous Gliders to Make Decisions on the Fly
Guided by computer algorithms that learned from onboard sensors, predicted air patterns
and planned a route forward, these gliders could seek out thermals — columns of rising hot air — and use them to stay aloft.
Led by Mr. Kapoor, who is an artificial intelligence researcher and a licensed pilot, the project was part of a growing effort to build aircraft, automobiles and other machines
that can make decisions on their own when faced with uncertainty — an essential skill for any machine trying to navigate the world on its own.
Microsoft is building an autonomous glider guided by artificial intelligence, part
of an effort to help machines make decisions when faced with uncertainty.
“It found a thermal.”
Last week, in the desert valley surrounding Hawthorne, Nev., 130 miles south of Reno, Mr. Kapoor
and his fellow Microsoft researchers tested two gliders designed to navigate the skies on their own.