Autonomous Research with AI: "The snuggle is real" — evolving quadcopter frame geometry for Wh/km, with Claude as an occasional co-designer
An autoresearch loop — a genetic algorithm over fourteen genes of the real, open-source Source One V6 plate drawings, flown through six simulated weather scenarios, with Claude sitting in every few generations as an AI agent that proposes designs from the run’s own telemetry — evolved a 7-inch frame that flies 16% more efficiently (Wh/km) than the stock champion.