Watch this: quadrocopters perform amazing pole-catching acrobatics

Quadrocopters can do more than take part in elaborate dances — they’re making the jump into gymnastics. Dario Brescianini, a student at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Dynamic Systems and Controls, has programmed the mini-drones to perform stunts and juggle poles between themselves. It all takes place in ETH Zurich’s Flying Machine Arena, a space decked out with a motion capture system and wireless networking to provide the perfect testing ground for tiny airborne vehicles.

In the video below, you’ll see how one quadrocopter is able to balance a pendulum on a plate and launch it in the air for another quadrocopter to catch. Robohub has details of how Brescianini and others calculated the algorithms, but the incredible video evidence speaks for itself.