New quantum method lets drones, robots talk in 'signal lost' zones

Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a novel quantum communication method enabling AI-driven machines—such as drone swarms and robotic teams—to coordinate and share information without transmitting traditional signals. This approach leverages quantum entanglement, a phenomenon where pairs of qubits remain interconnected so that changes to one instantly affect the other, regardless of distance, without sending signals through space. The team created a framework called entangled quantum multi-agent reinforcement learning (eQMARL), where each agent holds entangled qubits and modifies them based on environmental interactions. Other agents detect these changes locally, allowing coordination without direct data exchange, which is especially valuable in environments where communication is unreliable or jammed, such as disaster zones. Testing showed that eQMARL outperforms classical AI and non-entangled quantum methods in limited-communication scenarios, offering promising applications for coordinating autonomous systems in “signal lost” zones like wildfire management or search-and-rescue operations. Despite its potential for ultra-secure communication that bypasses conventional networks