With the development of artificial intelligence and enhancement of airborne task platform performance, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology and its application have presented a new development situation. This paper summarizes and analyzes the technological hotspots of UAVs in 2021 with respect to UAV regulations, autonomous control technologies, antiUAV technologies and application fields for UAVs. Artificial intelligence and visual navigation technology not only enable UAVs to acquire more powerful functions but also largely extend and deepen the comprehensive application field. Especially, the human-robot will be getting closer and closer with the constant improvement of human-robot interaction technology. In summary, UAVs will be more miniaturized, clustered, intelligent and cross-domain. The deep integration with artificial intelligence and cross-platform practical applications of UAVs are still hotspots for the present and future.

unmanned aerial vehicle  /  policy and regulation  /  technological hotspots  /  swarm intelligence