MIT Makes a Drone Aircraft that Can Fly Indoors

1. We have seen quadrocopters do some pretty awesome indoors maneuvers, from swarming to playing a piano symphony. But what we really want to see is a full-fledged airplane whipping around the inside of a building.

2. MIT’s Robotics Group is taking steps toward making this a reality with an autonomous UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that can fly around in a tight car park. To accomplish this feat, the MIT scientists developed a short winged, laser-equipped brainiac UAV that can understand where it is and how to avoid obstacles all on its own.

3. MIT professor Mark Drela developed the UAV with a short 2-meter wingspan so that it could maneuver quickly in enclosed spaces. More importantly, the small airframe packs the same computational power as a netbook, with an Intel Atom processor inside.

4. It needs all this processing power to run a state-estimation algorithm in conjunction with a set of lasers, accelerometers, and gyroscopes. With these combined technologies, the UAV is able to figure out its own orientation and velocity as well as 15 other in-flight factors without a GPS signal. At the same time, the UAV constantly runs an algorithm that it uses to avoid obstacles it comes across on the fly.

5. So far, the MIT scientists have run a preliminary test of the system aided by a preloaded map. The UAV successfully flew for a total of three miles at 22 miles per hour.

6. The MIT researchers’ next step will be to build an algorithm that allows their UAV to make a map of its surroundings on the fly.

XIV. Translate passages 5 and 6 into Russian.

Страдательный залог

Passive Voice

Страдательный залог показывает, что действие направлено на предмет или лицо, выраженное подлежащим.

I. Define the predicates in the passive form.

X – подлежащее; 1, 2, 3… – глагол

a) X was 1ed, X am 2ing, Xs were 3ed, X am being 4ed, X is being 5ed, X will be 6ing, X is 7ed, Xs are 8ing, X am 9ed, Xs were 10ing, Xs are 11ed, X is 12ing, X will be 13ed, X was being 14ed, X was 15ing, Xs were being 16ed, Xs are being 17ed.

b) Xs have 1ed, X has been 2ed, Xs have been 3ing, X has 4ed, X had been 5ed, X has been 6ing, X had 7ed, X will have been 8ed, X will have been 9ing, X will have 10ed, Xs have been 11ed.

c) X will be 1ed, Xs have 2ed, Xs were 3ed, X am being 4ed, X will be 5ng, Xs have been 6ed, X has been 7ing, X is 8ed, Xs are 9ing, Xs are 10ed, Xs have been 11ing, X had 12ed, X is being 13ed, X had been 14ed, X will have 15ed, X am 16ing, X has been 17ed, Xs were 18ing, X am 19ed, X was 20ed, X is 21ing, X was being 22ed, X has 23ed, X will have been 24ed, X was 25ing, Xs were being 26ed, Xs are being 27ed, X will have been 28ing.

II. In each line below find the predicates meaning

a) Делалось, было сделано:

1. X was being 1ed, X am being 2ed, X has been 3ed, X will be 4ed;

2. Xs were 5ed, X is being 6ed, X had been 7ed, Xs were 8ing;

3. X will have been 9ed, Xs were being 10ed, Xs are 11ed, X was 12ed;

4. X has 13ed, X is 14ed, Xs have been 15ed. X is being 16ed.

b) Делается, будет сделано:

1. X is 1ed, X was 2ed, X has been 3ing, X am being 4ed, X will be 5ed;

2. Xs have been 6ed, Xs have 7ed, Xs are 8ed, Xs were 9ed;

3. Xs are being 10ed, X is 11ing, X was being 12ed, X am 13ed;

4. X is being 14ed, X will be 15ed, X will have been 16ed, Xs were 17ed.