Robohub.org
 

Live at TED Global 2013: Tweets, photos and video for quadrotor fans


by
11 June 2013



share this:
TED_James_Davidson6
Raffaello D’Andrea demos his quadrotor “athletes” at TED Global 2013.
Update with the full video below

Check out live tweets, amazing photos, TED blog posts and awesome video coverage of the session Those Flying Things at this year’s TED Global, featuring the work of automation and controls expert Raffaello D’Andrea, and drone ecologist Lian Pin Koh. We will be adding new material here as it becomes available, so check back soon. Photo credit: James Duncan Davidson.

This post is part of Robohub’s TED Global 2013 coverage.

Update: TED video | Raffaello D’Andrea: The astounding athletic power of quadcopters

 

Update: TED video | Timelapse: Building an arena for flying robots
See the full TED Blog post for more about how James Duncan Davidson made the video.


TED_James_Davidson8
A quadrotor balances a glass of water while in mid-air.

In his TED Global talk titled “Machine Athleticism” Raffaello D’Andrea shows how he uses control algorithms to push quadrotors to perform at their physical limits. Instead of relying on slides, D’Andrea (who is well-known for his quadrotor demos) demonstrates his flying machines live as they toss a ball, balance a poll, serve a glass of water without spilling a drop, and even fly with their props cut off. In his own words, D’Andrea’s talk is about “the ability of machines to perform dynamic feats that fully exploit their physical capabilities.”

TED_James_Davidson9
D’Andrea interacts with a quadrotor. Foam balls covered with retro-reflective tape serve as markers for the overhead camera system.
TED_James_Davidson7
A quadrotor balances a pole.

Check out official TED blogger Kate Torgovnick for her coverage of Raffaello D’Andrea’s talk.

See all the posts in Robohub’s TED Global 2013 coverage.



tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,


Robohub Editors


Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

Resource-sharing boosts robotic resilience

  31 Mar 2026
When a modular robot shares power, sensing, and communication resources among its individual units, it is significantly more resistant to failure than traditional robotic systems.

Robot Talk Episode 150 – House building robots, with Vikas Enti

  27 Mar 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Vikas Enti from Reframe Systems about using robotics and automation to build climate-resilient, high-performance homes.

A history of RoboCup with Manuela Veloso

and   24 Mar 2026
Find out how RoboCup got started and how the competition has evolved, from one of the co-founders.

Robot Talk Episode 149 – Robot safety and security, with Krystal Mattich

  20 Mar 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Krystal Mattich from Brain Corp about trustworthy autonomous robots in public spaces.

A multi-armed robot for assisting with agricultural tasks

  18 Mar 2026
How can a robot safely manipulate branches to reveal hidden flowers while remaining aware of interaction forces and minimizing damage?

Graphene-based sensor to improve robot touch

  16 Mar 2026
Multiscale-structured miniaturized 3D force sensors for improved robot touch.

Robot Talk Episode 148 – Ethical robot behaviour, with Alan Winfield

  13 Mar 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Alan Winfield from the University of the West of England about developing new standards for ethics and transparency in robotics.

Coding for underwater robotics

  12 Mar 2026
Lincoln Laboratory intern Ivy Mahncke developed and tested algorithms to help human divers and robots navigate underwater.



Robohub is supported by:


Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.02 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence