Scientists from University of Southampton develop drone 'with it's own nervous system'

Scientists from Southampton have created a drone, fitted with its own "nervous system".

Experts at the university created a system, made of optical fibres, which reduces the frequency it needs to land for inspection.

It could be of benefit to cargo carrying drones, which need to make regular pitstops for manual safety checks.

Lead researcher, Dr Chris Holmes, said: "The optical fibre system developed at Southampton makes drones more efficient by continuously monitoring its structural health just like nerves in the body

"This is a kind of nervous system for drones

"It sends back real-time information using light, rather than electricity, which avoids problems that electronic systems have with interference from radio frequencies."

The system uses a unique technique called optical speckle which projects specific images dependant on what the optical fibre nervous system feels.

Dr Holmes continues: "This speckle system keeps track of the stresses and strains on the drone, helping ground crews spot issues early without needing to land the drone as often for inspections.

"There's lots of commercial potential for this technology, and we're aiming for commercialisation by 2025."

Aerospace engineering graduate Toby King-Cline, 23, who led the student team, said: "The technology could change the way drones are used in many industries.

"The drone was first developed to deliver life-saving equipment like defibrillators in emergencies, but it’s served as an excellent test platform for the optical fibre nervous system.

"The live data from the fibre system showed us that the technology could keep drones operational longer without the need for extensive ground crews."

The University of Southampton team says they hope the technology will make future drones more reliable and cost-effective.

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