
Microsoft’s autonomous gliders seek out thermal updrafts to stay aloft - janober
https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/16/microsofts-autonomous-gliders-seek-out-thermal-updrafts-to-stay-aloft
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matthewmcg
This is an interesting article, but it positions the Microsoft project as the
first effort in this area when in fact there is significant amateur and
professional research covering the same ground (same air?). NASA has been
looking into this for at least a decade [1].

There's an oblique reference in the Times article to an "autonomous soaring
world record"\--I believe that was Dan Edwards at NCSU in 2008.[2]

[1]
[https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/200700...](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070022339.pdf)

[2] RCGroups thread documenting his efforts:
[https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?502046-Autono...](https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?502046-Autonomous-
Soaring)

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matthewmcg
Also, this post links to the original times article:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15027339](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15027339)

