A new test arena at Dübendorf Airport makes it possible: autonomous flight and vehicles – such as drones – are developed here from concept to marketable product. The test infrastructure is being created thanks to the digitization initiative of the Canton of Zurich together with three Zurich universities.
Hangar 9 at Dübendorf Airport: The plain metal door to the hangar does not give away the fact that the traffic of the future is being planned here. But then the view into the large hall opens up: drones race up and down - but not only that, they complete an obstacle course in the process, navigating precisely through archways suspended at different heights. On site: UZH professor Davide Scaramuzza and his team. The researchers demonstrate what the smart quadrocopters - drones with four propellers - can do. With its size, the hangar offers an ideal testing ground for the nimble flying acrobats.
In recent years, interest in autonomous vehicles in the commercial sector has grown exponentially, including the need for extremely fast, safe and robust drones. Commercial quadrocopters, however, are slow and their batteries run out after 30 minutes. These devices are not useful for searching for survivors in an earthquake or for reconnoitering a failing bridge. That's why Davide Scaramuzza and his team are working on more efficient drones.
"However, several challenges still need to be overcome to make this happen," explains the computer science professor, whose research is funded by the European Research Council. "For a drone that flies fast, we need to develop more efficient perception algorithms." Specifically, the on-board cameras of his drones capture 30 frames per second. They must be able to process all the data generated by the camera very quickly to create a three-dimensional map of the environment, so they can detect and avoid obstacles. To achieve maximum performance, systems need real-time algorithms that respond to both aerodynamic disturbances and unpredictable obstacles. The hangar in Dübendorf offers researchers a good and safe opportunity to test the drones and their capabilities.
At the moment, the test flights are still taking place in the secured hangar. In the near future, however, the researchers also plan to use the outdoor area to test how the drones perform in wind and weather and to develop them further until they are ready for the market.
This test site is made possible by LINA. The acronym stands for: Shared Large-scale INfrastructure for the Development and Safe Testing of Autonomous Systems. "LINA will provide the infrastructure for safe testing of autonomous systems in the canton of Zurich, from basic research to the development of marketable systems by industry," says LINA project manager Brigitte Rohner. She manages the funding project together with Michel Guillaume, Head of the Center for Aviation at the ZHAW.
Thanks to this new infrastructure, researchers from the University of Zurich, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and the Zurich University of the Arts can test the efficient and safe testing of autonomous systems - not only drones but also other self-driving vehicles - indoors but also outdoors. LINA became possible because of the Digitization Initiative (DIZH). Its aim is to promote collaboration between Zurich's universities in the field of digitization and, together with the participating Zurich universities, it also provides funding.
Different test arenas for research and development of prototypes are planned: A hall with an indoor tracking arena and a large-scale, high-precision position tracking system, as well as a wind tunnel facility. An outdoor test arena secured with a net is also to be built. Also planned is a digitally controlled outdoor test arena in controlled airspace (CTR). Here, for example, drones could be tested under the conditions of the Light Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate (LUC) in low airspace. "Likewise, the kilometers required for a marketable product could be flown here," emphasizes Brigitte Rohner. The long-term goal is to establish a certification body for all drones that are used commercially. LINA is designed to run for five years.
The first LINA event will take place on March 30: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hangar 9, Dübendorf Airport.
Author: Marita Fuchs, UZH Zurich
UZH News
Image source: UZH Zurich