Scientists from Geely University presented unmanned technologies at a conference at Irkutsk National Research Technical University

Scientists fr om Geely University (Chengdu, China) took part in the conference "Modern Aviation Technologies" at Irkutsk National Research Technical University. They discussed Chinese trends in the field of UAV creation, imitation of bird and insect behavior when programming drones.

The forum was held at INRTU in late June. The event was attended by experts, scientists, employees of aircraft manufacturing enterprises from St. Petersburg to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, as well as guests from China and Belarus.

The PRC was represented at the conference by the Director of the Aerospace Institute of Geely University, Professor Wang Wang, Professor Fan Yuhang and Professor Li Yindong. Foreign participants spoke in the section "Aircraft Manufacturing and Operation of Aviation Equipment", which was supervised by the Head of the Department of Aircraft Engineering and Operation of Aviation Equipment of INRTU Igor Bobarika.

As Professor Wang Wang reported, his colleagues were working on creating low-altitude drones. Drones are used to transport cargo over short distances. This is especially relevant in China, wh ere there are restrictions on the construction of airports due to the high population density. UAVs from Geely University are also used in China to patrol cities, service agricultural facilities, and extinguish fires.

Scientists from Chengdu are actively mastering new technologies. For example, they are conducting experiments on controlling drones with the power of human thought. By scanning electroencephalography data, researchers record the electrical activity of the brain and send it to the copter. Due to mental navigation, it is possible to move the drone left and right, up and down, and turn. The project is at the experimental stage, but the accuracy of object recognition is already 95%.

"The Aerospace Institute of Geely University designs and manufactures UAVs that have been successfully implemented in real life. We are interested in the development of unmanned technologies in other countries, including Russia. That is why we came to the conference at INRTU. Your university attracts us with its openness to international cooperation," said Professor Wang Wang.

Professor Fan Yuhang spoke about Chinese trends in the field of "low-altitude economy". The term refers to various works at an altitude of up to 3 km. In this case, electric UAVs with vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) are used. The advantage of such technology: no need to build a runway, increased safety, low noise level, zero emissions into the atmosphere, ease of maintenance and affordable price.

Professor Li Yindong gave a report on algorithms for controlling a swarm of drones. Some of the methods he indicated are based on simulating the behavior of a colony of ants and birds. For example, copying a bird's flight allows swarms of drones to avoid obstacles.

As previously reported, before the start of the forum, the Chinese delegation met with the rector of INRTU Mikhail Korniakov. The parties discussed educational projects in the field of automotive engineering, issues of cooperation in the field of academic mobility.

Reference: Geely University is a private educational institution in Chengdu, founded by Geely Holding Group. The university specializes in engineering disciplines: automotive engineering, IT and international business. The educational programs are tailored to the needs of the automotive industry. The cooperation agreement between INRTU and Geely University was signed in April 2025.