🇺🇸⚡️- Researchers at Purdue University have demonstrated an autonomous drone capable of tracking a moving person through dense forests without GPS or cloud connectivity. The drone uses 3D LiDAR mapping, onboard AI, and real-time movement prediction to navigate obstacles and maintain tracking even when its target disappears behind trees. The technology has significant military applications, particularly for tracking and eliminating enemy personnel, reconnaissance, and autonomous operations in GPS-denied environments. Purdue's IDEAS Lab also holds a $1.5 million US Army research agreement to develop autonomous aerial and ground systems capable of operating in hostile terrain.