A state-run defense development agency said Tuesday it has developed a new technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to autonomously steer clear of threats and dangers.

The technology allows UAVs to automatically seek flight paths to avoid threats at close distances and decide the sequence to complete their tasks, according to the Agency for Defense Development.

The agency said it will continue research to upgrade the technology to meet high-level capabilities required in actual battlefields with a goal of reaching a "fully autonomous" level.

"The technology can effectively contribute to improving the survivability of military UAVs in future battlefields, and when applied to the private sector, it can be a base for developing a stable operating system for artificial intelligence-based robots and unmanned air transportation," an official said. (Yonhap)