Dutch researchers say they've built a miniaturized autopilot to allow drones to fly longer, fit into narrower spaces or carry more payloads such as cameras.

Scientists at the Delft University of Technology say their unit, dubbed Lisa/S, is the world's smallest autopilot for micro aerial vehicles such as those intended for safety and rescue operations.

At 3/4 of an inch square and weighing just 0.06 ounces, the lighter unit will mean micro aerial vehicles able to stay up in the air longer and carry heavier cameras and sensors, they said.

"Our aim? Make MAVs so small and light that every fireman can fit one in his pocket," project manager Bart Remes said.

"We programmed new software, Superbitrf, that keeps the autopilot connected to a ground station and a normal RC (remote control) transmitter at the same time," he said in a university release Monday.

The researchers said they have made all the details of their work available online to make MAVs easily accessible for all.

"Our aim is to make MAVs as commonplace as smartphones and laptops," Remes said. "Farmers can use MAVs to inspect crops, for example. Our dream is that every fire fighter carries a MAV in his breast pocket to use for inspections of collapsed or burning buildings without having to go inside."

Small drones helping protect historic Peruvian archaeological sites
Lima (UPI) Aug 26, 2013 - Archaeologists in Peru say they've turned to small drones to speed up surveys and protect sites from squatters, builders and miners.

With the price of drone technology dropping, researchers have been able to use the remote-controlled aircraft to create three-dimensional models of historic Peruvian sites in days and weeks instead of months and years, Britain's The Guardian reported.

Mapping sites is a vital first step before major excavation work can begin and has typically required tedious ground-level observations.

Camera-equipped drones can reduce the time needed to just weeks or even days, archaeologists said.

Speed has become an issue as Peru's economy grows and development pressures have surpassed looting as the main threat to the country's cultural treasures, officials said.

"With this technology, I was able to do in a few days what had taken me years to do," said Luis Jaime Castillo, a Peruvian archaeologist with Lima's Catholic University who is also an incoming deputy culture minister.

Drones can help safeguard archaeological heritage, researchers said, as the Culture Ministry struggles to protect Peru's more than 13,000 sites.

Only about 2,500 have been properly marked off, they said.

"And when a site is not properly demarcated, it is illegally occupied, destroyed, wiped from the map," said Blanca Alva, an official with the ministry charged with oversight.

With an annual archaeology budget of just $4.6 million, the low-cost drones are seen as an attractive technology.

"We see them as a vital tool for conservation," Ana Maria Hoyle, an archaeologist with the ministry, said.