The Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) is developing a unique autonomous navigation system that allows drones to operate successfully even, when a GPS signal is lost, it said in a statement.

The algorithms, cameras and sensors allow them to navigate in space, while the built-in neural network analyzes the video stream and detects people.

"We have created a system that allows a drone to ‘understand’ where it is based on its own ‘sensations’ in the form of an inertial system and computer vision. A special camera performs the function of vision, and inertial sensors are responsible for the perception of movements. Our algorithm analyzes incoming information in real time, estimating the position, speed and orientation of the aircraft. Combining these data will ensure high accuracy and stability of navigation," Pyotr Ukhov, associate professor of the Department of Computational Mathematics and Programming, Deputy head of the Department of the MAI IT Center said as quoted by the statement.

The technology is based on SLAM (Simultaneous localization and mapping) visual-inertial navigation, which allows the drone to build its own terrain map and track its position even with difficult maneuvers and loss of GPS signals. A team of students from the Institutes of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Aviation, Rocket Engines and Power Plants, and the Advanced Engineering School of MAI is working on the project. The key element of the research was the integration of machine learning algorithms that allow the drone not only to navigate in space, but also to detect people in real time.