Braunschweig to become a hotspot for drone research Cutting-edge research and exclusive training for European students

How can drones help save lives in the event of a disaster? How can drones be used to collect weather data to improve weather forecasting or to better understand the spread of air pollutants? These are the questions that international students at the ‘Drone Spring School’, organised by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Technische Universität Braunschweig, are investigating.

In a two-week workshop, around 20 students from various European countries completed a programme to master the handling of different types of drones and prepare them for use in research. To this end, the Drone Spring School was divided into a theoretical and a practical part. In the theoretical part, the participating institutions provided an online event to cover the basics and the current state of research and technology. At the end of the course, participants were able to obtain a drone licence to enable them to operate drone flights themselves in the future.

After a weekend of icebreaker activities, the second week saw practical flight tests at the DLR airport in Cochstedt. Working in small groups, the students used a variety of drones to install sensors, programme autopilots and develop suitable strategies for solving their tasks. After the flights, they independently evaluated the data and exchanged their thoughts on the results of the flight tests in the final session.

The initiator and financial supporter of this Spring School is the ASDA association (Association for Scientific Development of Air Traffic Management in Europe e.V.), which supports its members in up to two such events per year. “Supporting young scientists in the field of air traffic management is one of the main goals that the 26 members of ASDA have set themselves,” says Professor Peter Hecker, Vice President for Research at TU Braunschweig and Chairman of the ASDA Board. “In the future, drones will fulfil an ever-broader range of applications. It is therefore crucial to get students interested in drone research at an early stage,’ adds Dr Dagi Geister from the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance.

The student group from TU Braunschweig had the task of measuring the wind using various drones, sensors and methods. For comparison, there were other devices that register wind speed and direction at different altitudes. ‘Today, drones are often equipped with sensors for a wide range of measurements. It is crucial to know and take into account the influence of the drone on the measurements and the limitations of the methods. This is where students can gain valuable experience in this field,’ explains Professor Astrid Lampert from the Institute of Flight Guidance at TU Braunschweig.

At TU Braunschweig, various institutes – not only in the Department of Mechanical Engineering – are involved in research and teaching on drone technologies and their range of applications.

In addition, an aerodynamics laboratory for drone drive trains is being built at TU Braunschweig, with the possibility of investigating the electromagnetic compatibility of real drone systems and their immunity to interference. The DLR has procured a mobile infrastructure for detecting and tracking drones. In addition, a drone cage is being built at the DLR site in Braunschweig, which, with a diameter of 45 metres and a height of 13 metres, will enable researchers to carry out safe flight tests with unmanned systems.

This infrastructure, which is unique in Europe, is embedded in the ‘FLYBOTS’ cooperation project between TU Braunschweig and the DLR. With funding from the state of Niedersachsen, FLYBOTS is developing an extensive test site for the various aspects of drone research. In addition, DLR has established a highly innovative research network for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at the National Experimental Test Centre for Unmanned Aerial Systems at Magdeburg-Cochstedt Airport.