New chip could help tiny robots traverse complex environments

June 23, 2026

A new chip developed by MIT researchers could help tiny, low-power UAVs avoid obstacles as they zip around tight corners inside an industrial HVAC system to check for gas leaks.

The chip allows small autonomous robots and other battery-limited devices to construct detailed 3D maps of their environments in real-time using only about as much power as a single LED. A robot could use such a map to plan a collision-free path to reach its goal.

To accomplish this MIT researchers combined an extremely efficient mapping algorithm with specialized hardware designed to accelerate its workload, which minimizes memory and power consumption.

Complete article from MIT News.

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