WINDSHAPE’S EXPERTISE AT THE SERVICE OF THE DRONE INDUSTRY

We support drone manufacturers for R&D and for showing compliance to regulations through rigorous and repeatable flight testing.

We support drone operators with periodic inspection of drone fleet.

Any question? Feel free to get in touch

Core competencies

FREE-FLIGHT

One of the key advantages of testing drones in a WindShape facility is that it enables free-flight testing in real life conditions. Our windshaper can recreate any steady or time-variable winds…

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WEATHER

Resilience to weather is what can enable drones to fly 24/7 for various applications. Flying in weather can increase the probability of mission failure and for this reason we encourage…

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PROPELLER

Drone propulsion units are critical systems that require particular design attention. A good design leads to propulsion systems that are more energy efficient, safer, more robust…

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AERO

Improving the aerodynamic design is certainly what can lead to the most significant improvements in term of performance and efficiency. For instance, reducing the drag allows to…

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HIGH-SPEED

Some applications require higher speed than what we can achieve right behind the fans of the windshaper (which is 16m/s or 60km/h). Our current test facility features…

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Test equipment

Windshaper

The windshaper – fan array or digital wind generator – is the centerpiece of the test facility. It is made of a large number of fans (more than 150 fans per square meter) which can all be controlled independently. This equipment makes it possible to generate an infinite variety of steady or time variable wind profiles.

The test section can either be fully open in order to enable free-flight; open with a flow straightener to reduce undesired turbulence when needed; open or closed with a flow contraction to increase the flow speed.

Motion tracking

Free-flight testing is only good if we can get data from it. This is why we use motion tracking camera systems (OptiTrack Prime 17W) that allow to capture precisely the position and attitude of the drone during the flight in a non-intrusive manner.

Robotic arm

For more traditional aerodynamics we are can use a robotic arm and a load cell to measure the efforts on the frame or on the wing. This is particularly interesting for characterizing fixed wings. Thanks to the robotic arm, the tests can be fully automated in order to increase the amount of data that can be collected per session.

Rain & weather

Windshape flight test environment can be further empowered by the coupling of weather generating options. We custom made rain injectors capable of making extra thin to large rain drops. Alternatively, we can easily move our windshaper in a climate chamber which not only makes it possible to test in cold environment but also in snow and icing conditions.

Flow measurement

Winshapers are capable of generating an infinite variety of wind profile. Thus it is paramount to be able to measure and characterize the generated conditions. To do so, we use ProCap – a multi-hole pressure probe tracked by motion capture cameras. This system gives the possibility to get fast, flexible and reliable data of any flow profile. It allows to scan the flow and provides 3D velocity vector field in real time.

GNSS emulator

One of the major innovations implemented in WindShape test environments is the GNSS emulator. As an example, this system allows to generate real-time emulated GPS coordinated to be received drones flying in the test environment. This is quite powerful as it makes it possible to define a mission path for the drone, along which the apparent wind speed (from the windshaper) on the drone is coherent with the navigation data. Thanks to this implementation, the control system thinks the drone is moving and the test is even more immersive.