The technology from Russia AI and 3D mapping of the terrain.

Be it defence, public safety in cities or boosting agriculture in the desert, drones are here to stay, and the UAE has started incorporating the smart flying devices into every walk of life, as other countries in the Middle East move forward to develop systems to manage multiple UAVs hovering above urban spaces. At a time when autonomous flying vehicles are becoming a common tool in battlegrounds across the globe, solutions equipped with radars and drones that hunt hostile aerial objects are being unveiled at defence as well as aviation exhibitions.

With drones being used for an array of diverse tasks ranging from deliveries to disaster relief and crowd control, it's important to have mechanisms which make sure UAVs don't lose their way, in order to avoid collisions. Among global innovators flaunting their high-flying innovation at the Dubai Airshow, a Russian firm has unveiled a mechanism which works as a single workstation for controlling an entire fleet of drones via AI, with little human intervention.

Computer vision behind the unified control centre is powered by AI that works in tandem with 3D terrain mapping as well as augmented reality, to guide the operator towards objects which need to be examined closely. Human intervention is limited, since the individual just needs to mark an area that has to be scanned, and AI on the UAVs, maps out routes on its own.

The role of the person at the workstation is restricted to supervision, since artificial intelligence takes care of executing tasks assigned to UAVs and facilitating communication between unmanned drones. The computer makes decisions based on the equipment used by hostile forces, the terrain and climatic conditions in the region.

Russian firm Kronstadt, which has created this platform, has mentioned that four Orion UAVs manufactured by the company can be handled by one command centre. But up to five if these command stations can be integrated into a single system, that can make 20 drones function as one fleet.