Autonomous vehicles aren’t the only transportation machines ousting humans as drivers in favor of AI (artificial intelligence)-enabled computers. Unmanned aircraft systems and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) operate with various degrees of autonomy, varying from remote human control to total autonomy thanks to onboard computers. The potential use cases for these devices seem limitless—from national defense and emergency response to remote inspection of critical infrastructure and beyond. NASA is even leveraging this technology for space exploration, sending the drone-like Dragonfly rotocraft lander to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, in 2026.
The global VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) UAV market …
