<p><b> by Anthony Falco</b></p><p>It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s both?<p>Microsoft researchers have developed an autonomous sailplane</a> that glides in the air using an artificial intelligence system.</p><p>The real innovation is that this glider doesn’t require a motor or a human to operate it. Instead it finds and catches rides on columns of air that rise due to heat, much like how a bird takes advantage of thermals to glide.</p><p>The system identifies temperature and wind direction and then makes real-time predictions of where to find the next wind pockets.</p><p>The Microsoft team says the infinite soaring machine could be used for various tasks including crop monitoring or mobile internet service.</p><p>Artificial intelligence researchers say the glider is much more complex than most systems being used today.</p><p>But for now, it’s still a work in progress.</p><p> </p><p> </p></p><br /> <p>The post This Autonomous Sailplane Glides Like A Bird</a> appeared first on Vocativ</a>.</p>
