Zenotech is pleased to announce that our director and co-founder, David Standingford will be presenting world-first results from the SafeZone project, which aims to improve drone flight safety, at NAFEMS UK. 

NAFEMS UK brings together leaders from industry and academia involved in analysis and simulation taking place on 7 and 8 June 2022. 

The presentation title is “SafeZone: Method of Validating Airspace CFD Models for Drone Operation with Flight Test Data.” UAVs have a great potential in cityscapes to reduce congestion and improve sustainability, offer additional resources to the emergency services, and reduce costs through autonomous inspections at airports, but safety is paramount. 

The validation of aerodynamic data services to support the safe use of drones in airports and urban areas is fundamental to their wider adoption. Wind modelling is a crucial element in this new landscape of UAV operation and data systems. 

The SafeZone project is a partnership between Zenotech and Flare Bright, supported by Innovate UK’s Future Flight programme. Flare Bright is the developer of the SnapShot autonomous nano-drone which accurately measures wind vectors. It has a greater reach than anemometers and is significantly cheaper and more accurate than LIDAR.

Zenotech and Flare Bright have conducted a series of live drone flight trials airside at Cardiff International Airport, where modelled steady and unsteady CFD datasets were compared with data from the SnapShot wind measurement nano-glider at a variety of locations in proximity to large buildings. The unprecedented comparisons between the two data sources will be shown at NAFEMS.

David Standingford’s talk is on 8 June 2022 at 16:10. Find out more here.