An artificial intelligence system developed by computer scientists at Stanford University (www.cs.stanford.edu) lets robot model helicopters teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by "watching" other, human-controlled helicopters perform the same maneuvers. The self-taught autonomous aircraft can then perform a complete air show of complex tricks better and more consistently than an expert, without any human control. Writing software for robotic helicopters is a daunting task, in part because the craft is an unstable system requiring constant input. Early on the researchers attempted unsuccessfully to write computer code that would specify the desired trajectory for a complex maneuvers. Simply replaying the exact finger movements of an expert pilot using a joy stick on a helicopter's remote controller fails due to uncontrollable variables, such as gusting winds.
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