Innovation of the week: Bridge-building drones
The next time a swollen river wipes out a bridge, drones might be sent in to do the rebuilding

The next time a swollen river wipes out a bridge, drones might be sent in to do the rebuilding, said Michelle Starr at CNET. Researchers at the Zurich-based Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have successfully programmed a squad of small quadcopter drones to autonomously build a rope bridge "capable of bearing the weight of a human." In a laboratory test, a team of three quadcopters was able to scan the 24-foot distance between two sets of scaffolding and figure out how to build the bridge on their own, without human intervention, using ropes that they looped, braided, and knotted together. The drones also independently selected the best anchor points for the rope for maximum load bearing and stability. When it comes to disaster response, "there's no denying that the small, lightweight aerial vehicles have potential."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Crossword: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff