Czech Republic Develops New Drone Imitating Bird Flocks to Reduce Reliance on Chinese Supply Chain
Czech Technical University developed a bio-inspired swarm drone primarily using local components, aiming to secure critical infrastructure while reducing reliance on China.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 16, 2026 at 20:21
- 🔍 Collected: April 16, 2026 at 20:32 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 00:08 (51h 36m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Liu Yu-ting, Prague, 16th, Special Report) Czech Technical University (ČVUT) has developed a new drone technology combining high-security design with biomimetic swarm intelligence, enabling the drones to move as rapidly and flexibly as a flock of birds. It will be used to protect critical infrastructure. The development team pointed out that European manufacturers remain highly dependent on Chinese supply chains, and this drone system primarily uses parts manufactured locally in the Czech Republic to reduce cybersecurity risks and strengthen technological autonomy.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at ČVUT recently developed this next-generation drone technology, conducted public flight demonstrations in South Bohemia, and released a press release.
The release noted that this drone will be applied in protecting critical infrastructure and executing missions in complex environments, such as natural disasters, missing person searches, or power plant accidents. The drone can fly without GPS signals, and most of its components are manufactured locally in the Czech Republic.
According to Czech Television (ČT), team leader Martin Saska said, "Most European manufacturers are quite dependent on China, but now everyone is aware of this problem and is striving to develop all components—down to every single cable—locally or in surrounding areas."
The team stated they are committed to building flying robots based entirely on European and local technologies, ensuring the drones contain no spy chips to lower cybersecurity risks, and maintaining autonomous production capabilities even when global supply chains are disrupted.
Furthermore, this drone features "biomimetic swarm flight technology," allowing drones to coordinate as swiftly and nimbly as a flock of birds. The research team collaborated with scholars from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of Konstanz to analyze dynamic data of bird flock flights, deeply investigating their collision avoidance and synchronized turning mechanisms.
The team noted in the press release that the latest findings show birds in flight rely not only on each other's positional information but can also predict the future movements of neighboring individuals. This mechanism has been integrated into the drone control models, enabling faster behavioral adjustments during formation flights, greatly enhancing overall maneuverability and precision.
Preliminary experimental results indicate that this technology can improve the drones' control and response capabilities by up to 60%, showing immense potential.
This drone system is modular, allowing for the rapid integration of different sensors and equipment according to mission needs. Equipped with secure flight control systems and communication technologies, multiple drones can operate collaboratively.
The team stated they will continue to deepen interdisciplinary cooperation, combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and biological research to promote the practical application of smart drone swarm systems. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150416
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(CNA Reporter Liu Yu-ting, Prague, 16th, Special Report) Czech Technical University (ČVUT) has developed a new drone technology combining high-security design with biomimetic swarm intelligence, enabling the drones to move as rapidly and flexibly as a flock of birds. It will be used to protect critical infrastructure. The development team pointed out that European manufacturers remain highly dependent on Chinese supply chains, and this drone system primarily uses parts manufactured locally in the Czech Republic to reduce cybersecurity risks and strengthen technological autonomy.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at ČVUT recently developed this next-generation drone technology, conducted public flight demonstrations in South Bohemia, and released a press release.
The release noted that this drone will be applied in protecting critical infrastructure and executing missions in complex environments, such as natural disasters, missing person searches, or power plant accidents. The drone can fly without GPS signals, and most of its components are manufactured locally in the Czech Republic.
According to Czech Television (ČT), team leader Martin Saska said, "Most European manufacturers are quite dependent on China, but now everyone is aware of this problem and is striving to develop all components—down to every single cable—locally or in surrounding areas."
The team stated they are committed to building flying robots based entirely on European and local technologies, ensuring the drones contain no spy chips to lower cybersecurity risks, and maintaining autonomous production capabilities even when global supply chains are disrupted.
Furthermore, this drone features "biomimetic swarm flight technology," allowing drones to coordinate as swiftly and nimbly as a flock of birds. The research team collaborated with scholars from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of Konstanz to analyze dynamic data of bird flock flights, deeply investigating their collision avoidance and synchronized turning mechanisms.
The team noted in the press release that the latest findings show birds in flight rely not only on each other's positional information but can also predict the future movements of neighboring individuals. This mechanism has been integrated into the drone control models, enabling faster behavioral adjustments during formation flights, greatly enhancing overall maneuverability and precision.
Preliminary experimental results indicate that this technology can improve the drones' control and response capabilities by up to 60%, showing immense potential.
This drone system is modular, allowing for the rapid integration of different sensors and equipment according to mission needs. Equipped with secure flight control systems and communication technologies, multiple drones can operate collaboratively.
The team stated they will continue to deepen interdisciplinary cooperation, combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and biological research to promote the practical application of smart drone swarm systems. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150416
Choose to stand with facts. Every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website are not to be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.