Drones to get blasted by wind, rain in new first-of-its-kind weather research lab
Mississippi State University is creating a first-of-its-kind weather laboratory where flight researchers will be able to test drones’ ability to survive various simulated weather conditions.
North Dakota launching country's first drone-based micro-weather service
North Dakota will launch the country’s first drone-based micro-weather service at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The Meteomatics’ Meteodrone is an autonomous flight system that can fly above the Earth’s surface up to 20,000 feet, into the low-level airspace where local weather phenomena such as fog, precipitation, wind, hail, storms and fluctuating temperatures are created.
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night is supposed to stop the US Mail. Someday, inclement weather may no longer be a barrier for deliveries via drones either.
Mississippi State University is creating a first-of-its-kind weather laboratory where flight researchers will be able to test drones’ ability to survive various simulated weather conditions, the university announced this month.
Researchers say their work will better equip autonomous air transportation to handle dynamic changes in the weather.
"Which will become even more important in the future as we rely on drones for product deliveries and personal air transport," says Jason Keith, dean of MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering.
A Raspet Flight Research Laboratory unmanned aircraft flies over the Mississippi River between Greenville, Mississippi, and Lake Village, Arkansas, Oct. 13 in the aftermath of Hurricane Delta. )
(Logan Renz, Northern Gulf Institute / FOX Weather)
The Raspet Flight Research Laboratory will allow researchers to simulate various stormy conditions such as strong wind gusts, wind shear, heavy rains and turbulence. Later updates will allow testing for fog, dust and snow.
The data will help agencies like the FAA establish drone vehicle safety and performance standards.
"Inclement weather is a major hurdle for commercializing drones, especially for applications like package delivery that require low-altitude flight near the ground where weather effects are strongest," Shreyas Narsipur, an MSU assistant professor of aerospace engineering who serves as the project’s principal investigator, said in a news release announcing the endeavor. "There are no established performance or safety standards for operating drones and other aircraft in inclement weather due to the lack of data. This lab will change that."
The lab, located at George M. Bryan Airport in Starkville, is expected to go live later this year and will allow testing of full-scale drones, not just small-scale models, researchers said.
"No other existing facility provides this level of control over wind conditions and precipitation types," Narsipur said. "This lab will enable truly commercializing applications, like drone deliveries, by providing a basis for optimum design methodologies and certification."
The team has even bigger plans for the lab's future, expanding beyond aerospace testing into other research fields such as sensor developments, agricultural spray coverage and pathogen spread.