Meet the dazzling flying machines of the future | Raffaello D'Andrea

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When you hear the word "drone," you probably think of something either very useful or very scary. But could they have aesthetic value? Autonomous systems expert Raffaello D'Andrea develops flying machines, and his latest projects are pushing the boundaries of autonomous flight - from a flying wing that can hover and recover from disturbance to an eight-propeller craft that's ambivalent to orientation ... to a swarm of tiny coordinated micro-quadcopters. Prepare to be dazzled by a dreamy, swirling array of flying machines as they dance like fireflies above the TED stage.
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[@jay-tbl]

Let's take a moment to pay respect to the guy who presented after this

[@dairop3220]

Hey scratch bro ;)

[@ANTIFASCIST-HELLAS]

So today we know were UFOs are from...

[@jay-tbl]

@@kimun8398 what

[@dairop3220]

@@kimun8398 mhhh meat balls

[@kino6712]

@@kimun8398 weaponized drones have been a thing for a looong time

[@wilsonblauheuer6544]

Imagine showing these machines to the wright brothers or DaVinci

[@rodrigosetubal1]

You mean Santos Dumont

[@Naludaking819]

You’re looking at the modern day wright brothers and da Vinci

[@bendover-bz4bc]

Imagine showing this to never contacted tribes around the world.

[@DarthKryat]

would be strikingly similar to ufo sightings back in the 60s

[@urmomstraight]

The future is now old mens

[@andycordy5190]

The open mouthed awe on the faces of the audience says it all. Brilliantly presented.

[@samuelelandi5288]

That bricks and ropes construction, a huge economic potency with correct applications...

[@mattn.8941]

@Dying Fetus REDUX What about 'juicero'? I don't see how a juicer appliance relates to using drones to braid cords together.

[@thevoicesoflogic]

This is not the first time that a Ted Talk has left my mouth agape nor will it be the last.

[@catnip4928]

this was truly amazing such an innovative technology. The world of tech is really progressing.

[@kobked-x]

first application will be total control of every population, so.."thanks"... techies never see the road ahead very well do they...

[@218Flows]

+KOBKED-X in your opinion

[@thegreaterconundrum]

No one sees the road ahead when they're immersed in the application of an idea. That's an innate characteristic of humans, not techies.

[@schumann]

Seth Woodard who’s Ted? Does your girl know?

[@skaterslife6305]

That was one of the most wounderfull examples of flying machines I have ever seen , thank you .

[@Sheepsville]

I thought drones were cool before, just for camera shots and light displays... but after watching this...the applications that can be achieved with these machines are truly staggering! My mind has gone overboard with ideas!

[@t.me_s_petizioni_2220]

Idea: attacking and killing unpredictably any enemy. Idea: carrying stuff instead of couriers or post officers. Other ideas..?

[@tinzalix8624]

@@t.me_s_petizioni_2220 first idea has been used in practice for decades at this point

[@tinzalix8624]

@@t.me_s_petizioni_2220 first idea has been used in practice for decades at this point

[@otheraccount5252]

4:48 I have to say, that is an absolutely ingenious use of spin stabilization.

[@m0dp1g21]

- Small - Operates while injured - Operates no matter the rotation Well... Run

[@nsr5961]

Soez the flying lamp was cool looking

[@brunoottina293]

@@nsr5961 Yeah, they can get asleep your kids 😉 That's a fucking help in your everyday's life. Let's stop buying some Toys are Us's bullshits ! Playskool, Mattel, Ravensburger and all these craps. And the best in this find is that you can watch your sweet angel from you cellphone.

[@zlikowsky]

good advice

[@PinkFoxzzz]

Seems need to take bigger caliber after this

[@oregonpilot]

Can’t wait for them to heal themselves 🙈

[@pythor2]

For some reason, and I don't know why, I just lost it when the people were looking at the drone, following while it was flying around. Reminds me of cats watching birds.

[@martinvargas236]

they were surprised ... like a cat following birds.... XD

[@ZblockWoW]

Yes. HAHAHAHAHA

[@qandthefantasyband578]

Lol

[@GateWay-ky6xq]

What a ridiculous thing to say! ............. Of course they were looking up at the drones, that' what the seminar was about! No doubt you're the sort of guy that would be texting on your mobile instead of paying attention! TURK

[@deblazer4302]

let's make the people dumber and dumber till they can't tie a rope!....... only the foolish go on with it... we must invest in the books with knowledge instead of the digital knowledge

[@ptonfire1]

So if this is 5 years ago,wonder what they have now.. .Happy New year 2021 🎇

[@christiansahle8445]

P.T.onfire They have these “slaughterbots” kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5fEap-MrK17p8k

[@tanyouliang]

The company now: veritystudios.com/

[@tobiasdontmatter1868]

hopefully something for the corona

[@Klarpimier]

We have coronavirus

[@TheChickenlipz87]

have a look at VERITY drones, used in stage production

[@dannyurocks]

That's 5 years ago...i did not know about it. Really impressive

[@jareddavis1919]

3:04 that guy’s expression says it all.

[@powerbamgaming9395]

He got paid to do that

[@jonothandoeser]

His team is not diverse enough.

[@orion9k]

His expression is overdramatic and his red color clothes says everything about his dramatic personality.

[@deterministicatheos5540]

That he-she male women had their mouth open like an dummy.

[@Kovrovable]

@@deterministicatheos5540 damn, i read this in a hillbilly accent - sounds niiice)))

[@DreamwalkerFilms]

I love the whisper at 3:21 like "Okay, you did a good job. Now rest"

[@AdamoMoreno]

+Dreamwalker Films I thought I was the only one that saw this! I was thinking... are they speaking to him?! haha

[@buzzoffhigh]

3:00 the guy in red shirt thinking i wanna get it for Christmas

[@gabec3993]

3:04 that guy is dumbfounded. love his amazed face. mine was similar

[@KiAb0n0V]

Imagine theatrical performance with this technology, amazing.

[@amisfitpuivk]

it would be cool to use the last one in as a planetarium to map out the night sky with drones, or even replicate the solar system and show the orbits of the planets

[@DotaLife]

We're gonna need better battery technology first or you won't enjoy your mini solar system for too long

[@justinakioka7145]

KiAb0n0V like the grand finale of a broadway musical using the micro-drones and creating a 3D night sky 😍 or even fireworks!

[@Jono1730]

KiAb0n0V how about the Pepsi commercial known as the Super Bowl???

[@opiekachak]

You should see the 2017 sea game kuala lumpur opening ..they have drones fly just like this

[@FlipperWolf]

Damn, the last demonstration blew my mind, it was breathtaking !

[@delegation5971]

I can totally see the micro-swarms making appearances at concert halls as part of the light show.

[@TADDs101]

Metallica used these swarms on their Hardwired Tour when they played Moth into Flame

[@alisvariety9657]

Happened at the Olympics this year

[@aluckyman4552]

Yeah they already have some great drone light shows at like new years eve celebrations and such.

[@griseld]

6:48, there's Linus Torvalds sitting and laughing

[@mnzen2442]

Imagine showing these machines to the wright brothers or DaVinci

[@RuthwikRao]

3:03 Me throughout the talk.

[@jaredkelly4991]

Ruthwik Rao I

[@thecrazy8888]

hehehe

[@Ralphile]

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

[@hugostiglitz6914]

Ruthwik Rao I don't even have to look. It's man with mouth open! HA HA.

[@stavinaircaeruleum2275]

Same

[@amisner2k]

Lol. Check out red shirt guy at 3:03. Truly the single greatest highlight of this video...well...aside from the incredible show of engineering and technology of course. :)

[@jomangeee9180]

that's gay!

[@kosteaproduction]

😲

[@Ramakrishna-bj4li]

Such a nice demonstration in different ways to explore your creative things and thoughts

[@TYCOON7979]

I am a witness to such an unbelievable yet stunning presentation. This is the future. Hats off!

[@jat3956]

Simply WOW! Especially the swarm demo at the end! Mesmerizing!

[@user-bm4di5ns4g]

Mr. D'Andrea is such an articulate, inspiring speaker. I'm always excited to see new videos from him.

[@Us3r739]

Are you still excited?

[@AnoNymInvestor]

He is skynet.

[@gnarmarmilla]

So rad. Thanks for this video, TED

[@Kallick]

Wow. Just that video of the drones building a rope bridge! Amazing!

[@edpritchard2318]

why dont i see this on the news.....thats right......it's positive and inspiring.

[@edpritchard2318]

+geordi rendum the kim Kardashian show was put on tv because "reality tv" is cheap to produce,no other reason.....and now she influences thousands of women to be as shallow and facile as her self........sigh....she has got a good body butt...........

[@chops6416]

Ed Pritchard there's loads of fantastic stuff going on that most people are unaware of. Here's one of my favourites www.reactionengines.co.uk/

[@tyronecovin6952]

Probably then they wouldn't be able to fool the citizens of the world when they lie and say we're being invaded. Hahaha

[@joepereira6501]

Ed Pritchard because it's not fake?

[@nea1314]

+Ed Pritchard That, dear friend, is the most true comment I've ever read on youtube

[@crispybacon4240]

3:03 "Ooooooohhhhwww. That's amwazing!" *Continues to gape at funny flying thing*

[@zombi561]

+Crispy Bacon hahaha that guy made me die laughing

[@maxnrm]

also he has Mel Gibson by the right hand

[@pedronalin324]

PQP ! INCRÍVEL ! Parabéns pela demonstração !

[@petermoore5689]

It all looks amazing until you imagine a guy with a star on his hat adding thermal sensors, facial recognition & a laser cannon. And in reality that’s the eternal shadow of geniuses like Rafaelo - the shadow they never seem to notice until its way too late.

[@elenorcorano5014]

Imagine the flying light show with MUSIC *o* I would pay money to see a show with these

[@eliasgaspar6631]

6:46 Linus Torvalds in the crowd 😮

[@veerendra.k]

And he is laughing :-)

[@Jason-mz6df]

Oh boy.

[@piotrkoxdziwko]

@@MrMoneyHelper fuuny thing is that those machines do probably operate on linux

[@MrCharaa]

It’s his twin brother he works at McDonald’s

[@turanamo]

I'll be damned hawkeye!

[@RAINE____]

Best TED Talk I've ever seen. And was that Linus Torvalds in the audience?

[@coba-cobatv]

I am so glad able to see this during my lifetime.

[@stare4539]

Ye

[@mrterrywatkins]

Clap now. Run for your lives later

[@earthalienzapa3237]

One reason need motors still have to learn how to change gravity where you want. Just think make human weight zero or a rock windup cars that can go up hills.

[@realeyes8199]

Hahahaha

[@ironman-cp9ws]

Terry Watkins lol. We are one in our minds.not many can see what you feel..they see wonder I see death for wonder with out God is death.sumit all to God his logic is undeniable even if he created destruction we know without doubt a greater good will come furthermore the greater the destruction the greater the good that will follow..trust in God and God alone

[@sofka2001]

Funny

[@misfitsBP18]

it's crazy how people beg for robots then they're scared of them.

[@rmurphy440m]

3:02 - Dude in the red shirt: “We’re doomed..”

[@TREX-4594]

You see that

[@nsr5961]

Robert Murphy it be nice if propellers were silent.

[@21stcenturycrusader5]

hahahaha

[@divinewineismine9829]

Cool Chinese toys bro

[@orelskivis]

@@nsr5961 So that we don't check out when they come to shoot us!!

[@kertwelreenverallo4680]

3:05 literally my reaction the entire time

[@jennifertharp659]

Wow, that’s fantastic! I see so many practical, public service applications for these as well as celebrations and art installations and theatrical performances. How lovely would it be to have a cluster of firefly drones above such important life events as a birthday, a wedding, or a celebration of life ceremony after a loved one has passed. 😌✨

[@SusanBaileyAmazingEstate]

I’ve seen video of thousands of mini drones doing a show that kinda replaces fireworks. This presentation was seven years ago! You would think being amazed by this technology would be common place lol.

[@ImpendingJoker]

I do not know why, but the swarm demonstration brought me to tears. It's just such an awesome display of human ingenuity and engineering applications that just prove what we as a species are capable off.

[@Av-vd3wk]

Too bad that the swarms will and already are being planned for warfare…

[@t.me_s_petizioni_2220]

"off " has been wanted.

[@Thrax.mp4]

But of course coz we’re human we’re gonna use them for war

[@msatul1305]

Of

[@peterslanger6062]

Emotional pansie.

[@dandcc9192]

Am I the only one who expected the swarm bots to spell out TED?

[@uropygid]

What a fail, huh?

[@xuaalbito8303]

me too

[@JimSting]

Yeah, missed opportunity

[@dobinfernandes]

No, i was expecting it too :)

[@occoppo]

I was thinking that too!

[@terrybecker1314]

loved the " Borg cube "! overkill. the lamp shade flies like a UFO. the swarm is awesome & scary.

[@MANU123423]

Anybody else saw Linus Torvald in the crowd smiling after the cute drone demo?

[@Neostream]

I like how he said ''ok"' to them drones as if they are kids as part of their show, proves that he truly appreciates these things more than a machine

[@jfrtbikgkdhjbeep9974]

agreed

[@evannaallen8881]

"That'll do, Drones. That'll do."

[@josephtaylor8402]

. . and

[@rodzinireal4171]

But it's ONLY a machine that will never be more impressive than a human being and it's blowing my mind that so many human beings are so impressed with machines

[@krishp1104]

@@rodzinireal4171 that's the dumbest fucking thing I've heard

[@thedivide3688]

This was the best TED video in forever and a half.

[@jimmymasters3844]

The light up ones can be used for night operations to communicate on the battlefield like arrows for positioning or to communicate enemy locations perhaps to let you know by just blinking when ai detects a sniper or movement of the enemy

[@astroboytechranger8231]

loved it awesome spacial geometric motion programming awesome dynamics and coordination

[@sachamm]

That's some Gandalf-level magic right there.

[@gormauslander]

Imagine commanding these with a wand! I'm drooling in my nerd cave right now.

[@grittykitty50]

Wow! I was thinking of Gandalf too, at the end!

[@followmegofromzeroto1milli852]

Love ted talks they are always very eye opening thanks for bring this subject and helping us to understand a bit better about it :) fully watched and liked. thanks Autonomous systems expert Raffaello D'Andrea.

[@AVIMISTRYlifetwistsnturns]

Thank you so much for the update ...

[@ShinyArjunSingh]

wow man...made my life.. Nice one Subscribed...Keep'em comin....

[@TejasToolMan]

This is why I enjoyed R/C flight as a kid back in the 1980's

[@GeFlixes]

6:47 is that Linus Torvalds in the front?

[@Kaizzer]

+GeFlixes I've guessed the same

[@Djhg2000]

+GeFlixes I was about to post the same thing!

[@TheProgrammer98]

Oh crap I think you're right...

[@HigherPlanes]

+GeFlixes Yes. Nice catch!

[@RurajJoshi]

Yes I saw him too!

[@Silverhand290]

The drone swarm is both amazing and terrifying. I saw another vid in which a presenter said that using 3 grams of a shaped explosive charge and facial recognition software, a swarm could be released into a building or anywhere really and hunt down an individual or a group of people. They might be terrorists, people shooting up a school or just any group you, or your government doesn't happen to like. It's all a bit spooky really.

[@ericswild]

It would be great to apply this to actual aircraft for mid flight recovery from disasters

[@daniellindforsbernholm3682]

Isn't that Linus Torvalds sitting in the crowd at 6:44?

[@EricDeWildt]

Yes it is!

[@Prim12398]

For 4 mln views only 8 people saw this. And those 8 people are brilliant IT related guys :D .

[@chrismofer]

yes, and he's loving it.

[@LargestClassifieds]

8:36 very impressive, spectacular display of flying mini machines

[@b.m.whindle9195]

Check out Intels video

[@candidasilvadias]

Thank you very much for the inspiration!

[@liviojoy206]

The swarm soo mesmerizing, and horrifying at the same time

[@jukkal4382]

yes especially when they turn off those decorative lights.. invisible swarm :D how "nice"!

[@atrudokht]

They’re like fireflies which are almost extinct nowadays.

[@PassionIsPurpose1]

Yo, that last one was seriously so fucking dope!

[@kotonizna]

This is amazing. I feel like a child again.

[@theedge5584]

The swarm is awesome. Could be a new form of light art......beauty

[@mehedihasan-ui6qt]

Loved the audience reaction 😅 & It was a four-year-old technology

[@haywoodjablomi7550]

you can buy those mini drones at Costco now. $30. I got that one as a starter practice drone last night. gotta start small because I also purchased the StarWars X-1 fighter drone. I have ZERO experience with these things too. I'm 55 and still wanna feel like a kid. lol

[@fupopanda]

These autonomous drones. Not the same as what you bought at Costco. These ones completely think on their own lol

[@jesuschristislord4631]

yes becuase of demons

[@nightlightabcd]

I know what you mean, I done the same but I found that the small cheep ones do not stabilize very well, if at all, so you spend most of your time, and efforts, walking to it, picking it up and launching it again, over and over. Others may think differently, but you might consider upgrading up a bit to one that has stabilized flight and a camera, real time display would be better. There are decent ones with a camera that records then you download from the drone it's self, for around $150. Take that $30 and put it your bank and check the net. Also consider spare parts that come with it, getting parts and service and flying time.

[@theberrby6836]

Haha Good luck~

[@jasonshoraka1098]

Yeah hey dude these drones might be the same size as the one at Costco or Walmart but guess what they have artificial intelligence in them they also have facial recognition and the military is going to put little snap bombs on them to kill people in their forehead, these little drones learn on their own how to fly it's like a hundred times more microchip technology than you think

[@moveaxebx]

06:45 - Linus Torvalds

[@pavanmadamset]

Great Observation

[@nijatibrahimov7451]

Saw him as well and stopped the video to read comments to see if I was right, thanks :)

[@iamgauri]

moveaxebx the first one I was in a level 29 the

[@alexanderzhang3972]

眼神真好

[@Jason-mz6df]

Indeed

[@cadencollins816]

3:02 The guy in the red shirt is so blown away by this lmao

[@timeadobos4537]

8:34- 10:21 Wonderful St. John's beetles I added music time period . Little spectacular play by trance music play.

[@TheElectricBuddha]

This trailer for the next season of Black Mirror looks great!

[@dreamweaver6014]

Wow, I was literally one comment from yours, and was thinking Black Mirror right before I read your comment.

[@malessandro1974]

William Lobach 😂

[@kallistiX1]

I'm going to go ahead and say this: I'd like a pet drone.

[@drums34]

+kallistiX1 Haha man, yeah ! The future

[@revimfadli4666]

Maybe that's what Anki's next Cozmo gonna be

[@mr.quantum3181]

Swarm was just amazing i am also working on swarm coordination optimization

[@nicholasgarrett8594]

I love the number of "jaws on the floor" on this one!

[@celestrio]

Seeing the mini drones flying in formation makes me think of "Batteries Not Included "

[@fishsauce2221]

Correct, those do not have a long flight time. We do not have the battery technology needed for a long flight time. However big drones have been used at night to fly in many formations with a pretty light source. They are indeed fascinating to look at.

[@vinayakambekar6863]

Other People: Black Mirror- Hated in the Nation

[@atomicboy8972]

So we have advanced to the flying lamp shade, nice!

[@presto709]

Well said. lol

[@anventia]

5:58 "can be learned on the fly" Haha I see what he did there!

[@1gorSouz4]

He lost the opportunity to say "literally"

[@JamesDory]

I feel this life is a gift with this performance.

[@davec.3198]

This was awesome. Just a display of tech. My fav was the flying lampshade.

[@0623kaboom]

just think all those old ufo video's ... how they looked just like that lamp shade after it was half dead ... perhaps they werent aliens but airforce prototypes using propeller technology to make larger versions ... ok sure they werent the ones doing 90degree turns and mach 12 kind of stuff ... but the wobbly ones that flew around crashed a lot and generally got seen all over the place in remote areas ... kind of like an experimental aircraft would have problems and be tested

[@kinsmed]

I like all the TED Talks, but it's nice to see it get back to its premise.

[@supernavy14]

I wish I could work with you someday, I really like to explore Future Technologies. 😍

[@aakashchatake]

It's beautiful. Thank you.

[@indrianiisti7201]

3:02 I love that guy's expression.... :-O

[@GianfrancoFronzi]

Very informative and interesting. The last shot of the group of tiny lit up drones forming different shapes is fantastic and silent.

[@QraQrJaq]

8:38 these are as amazing as they are beautiful. I’d love to play with this while tripping 🤯

[@anis3350]

the last one are incredible, wow

[@UnauthorizedExpression]

The tiny things at the end could be used to make massive "holographic" displays.

[@bushelfoot]

the flying lamp shade was like wow wow

[@CosmosDweller]

Five years later and still watching!

[@spurthichadharam9144]

Thank you for educating us I think velocity area and discharge are inversly proportional And also in formula square root is to be replaced by cube root and twice by triple to get more practical results in field to be more precise and practical

[@vikingroughneck]

08:33 Beautiful, thx for sharing

[@tjpld]

6:46 Linus Torvalds in the audience.

[@matsoseland615]

+tjpld it sure looks like it! I was thinking the same thing as I was watching it!

[@andriybondarenko6282]

Yeah, noticeable person.

[@pratanumandal]

I thought I was the only one to notice!

[@MuhammedArshidKV]

I already thought about it.. :)

[@HARROWSKI]

3:03 the guy in the red is amazed 😂😂

[@falconvisionuavloworbit]

Imagine how our interaction with this technology will inspire other technologies to look through the same lens but a different perspective. Perspective will give us the engine that will propell us through concepts and theories that will manifest in our real world perspective...Perspective is everything!

[@9433271395anupam]

GREAT JOB. NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE

[@thecrazy8888]

Ohhhh missed opportunity right here, that swarm formation should have written "TED Rocks!"

[@shaunwhitfield7953]

is that Linus Torvalds front and center at 6:45?

[@janus9148]

The flying lamp is so cool. It serves as source of light and as a fan 😂

[@salih8566]

6:45 Linus thinks about: "I bet they are using linux?"

[@jacquelinenjeremiahcliff8440]

Omg nailed it

[@hugostiglitz6914]

I feel a whole new load of UFO sightings coming on!

[@roozbehfarhadi9993]

Hugo Stiglitz Exactly my thought.

[@9razzler9]

what do you think they were before drones became public? lol those were the prototypes

[@virgilius7036]

Sure, any light in the sky becomes a UFO, like the flares in Phoenix !

[@deterministicatheos5540]

This why X Files should go into season 12 and 13

[@UfoAlien8]

.

[@znerolz]

Very nice and skill-full set in scene; but one word of caution: skynet.

[@gif623]

Stunning work

[@coach7741]

Oh yeah I remember this TED demo now. This was before the Demo on Augmented virtual reality where you can touch and smell whats on TV