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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Michael Casey

Forget driverless cars. One company wants autonomous helicopters to spray crops and fight fires

Rotor Dan Martin FAA New Hampshire
Autonomous Helicopter - (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night.

The heart-stopping flights led to his research of unmanned aircraft systems while getting his doctorate degree in aerospace engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then, he formed Rotor Technologies in 2021 to develop unmanned helicopters.

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