BeeRotor - drone without accelerometers

Accelerometers have been used in many gadgets. By measuring the acceleration force, these sensors can accurately determine the angle of the device relative to the ground. Now scientists are exploring how to make a drone that can fly without using accelerometers. This led to the creation of BeeRotor, whose work is based on optical flow.

The optical flow used by the drone is based on the fact that the eyes naturally interpret movement. Thus, when you ride a bike at high speed, the landscape on the horizon looks relatively stable. BeeRotor recreates this effect with 24 photodiodes that record contrasts and their movement as part of the environment. The robot uses this data to calculate the angle at which the landscape passes by. BeeRotor monitors its speed, analyzing how quickly the landscape overcomes its "eye".