A Swarm of Drones 3D-Mapped the Matterhorn in Stunning Detail

Future versions of Grand Theft Auto — at least those typeset in Switzerland — could let in a elaborated and fabulously accurate 3D model of the Matterhorn for thrill - seeking gamers to explore , thanks to a swarm of dronesthat lately scanned , mapped , and shoot the iconic peak .

The lightweight autonomous ebees drones , developed by a company called senseFly , each spent about six hours circulate the Matterhorn and photographing it from every potential slant . The fruit of their airborne travail was a collection of over 2,000 high - Re pic that were then used by a troupe called Pix4D to analyze and construct an fabulously detailed role model of the Matterhorn draw up of over 300 million data point .

Even though thedronesweren’t combing the control surface of the peck with surveyor ’s tools , the 3D simulation that was created from their photos is exact to be precise to within about four in . And that ’s all the more telling when you consider the mapping did n’t require a single human being to risk their life history by attempting to breast the Matterhorn . [ EPFL ]