Abstract
Drones are no longer just flying cameras - they are becoming intelligent agents operating in some of the harshest environments on Earth, from cluttered industrial interiors to murky underwater spaces. This talk takes you above and below the surface to show how advances in sensing, AI, and system co design are pushing drone autonomy far beyond today’s limits. Through real-world examples, we explore how modern drones perceive the world with rich multi modal sensors, build 3D and semantic understanding in real time, and turn raw data into actionable insight. We highlight why sensing remains the critical bottleneck - and opportunity - for robust autonomy, and how embodied and generative AI are beginning to change what drones can understand and decide on their own.