How are autonomous drones programmed or controlled?

Autonomous drones are pre-programmed to fly on their own using an onboard computer/controller. The controller runs software that takes input from sensors (such as GPS and cameras) and then generates control signals to guide the drone's movement.

Based on this sensor input, the drone:

• plans an optimal route to the destination using GPS
• detects obstacles (e.g., buildings/trees) and avoids them,
• on reaching the destination, it can use the camera to scan/verify (e.g., barcode scanning and even face recognition for recipient verification)
• and after completing the task, it returns to its base location and is ready for the next job.