Russian Engineers Develop Tablet-Compatible Navigator for Drones

Young engineers from the Tsifrovoy Universitet 2035 (Digital University 2035) have developed a navigation program that automatically charts routes for drones. Called IMSIT Navigator, the software, unlike many comparable systems, is compatible not only with high-powered laptops but also with tablets. The university’s press service shared the details with TASS.

No Camera Required

The system works across any operating system and does not require a video camera on the drone. The students created the software while studying at Rossiyskiy Novyy Universitet (Russian New University).

According to the university, the software identifies buildings at the data level rather than through visual input. The system pulls information from a database in which each structure is marked as a geographic object with specific coordinates. For the algorithm, a building becomes a “no-go zone” on the digital map that cannot be crossed when calculating a trajectory. The system searches for the shortest route between takeoff and landing points and automatically avoids obstacles. The flight path is built on a computer or tablet before the mission begins, after which the operator uploads the finished route into the drone’s memory.

95 Percent Accuracy

The system was tested at a site in Krasnodar. Engineers first generated a route using the new navigator and then physically inspected the area to verify the maps and the calculated course. Route planning accuracy reached 95 percent.

Compared with similar products, the new system is lighter in terms of computing requirements. It needs less than 2 GB of RAM instead of 8–16 GB, making it suitable for low-cost field tablets. Professional-grade software, by contrast, typically requires a high-performance workstation.

In the future, the software could be used not only for drones but also for other types of equipment and vehicles.

Earlier, we reported that a hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft is also under development in Russia.