The High Tech Campus in Eindhoven will soon become the first place in Europe to test autonomous drones. The drones will deliver parcels, mail and meals, among other things.
The European Commission has awarded the three-year research project 'Flying Forward 2020' to a consortium of companies, public institutions and universities. Test sites will also be established in Finland (Oulu), Estonia (Tartu), Italy (Milan) and Spain (Zaragoza). "In this project, we will test, among other things, the delivery of parcels, mail and meals," said Paul van Son, Innovation Manager at the High Tech Campus. "But the drones can also play an important role in securing our grounds and monitoring buildings and sustainability."
The High Tech Campus wants to use the project to investigate two major issues. "The first is how we can use drones to autonomously monitor the campus, for example on safety and sustainability aspects," Van Son explains. "The other is to start delivering packages and meals more efficiently."
Digital twin
A 3D digital infrastructure (digital twin), yet to be developed, should enable the deployment of autonomous drones on campus. "This will allow us to manage our airspace in real-time. In this infrastructure, we define, for example, where drones can fly and where they cannot, but the drones and algorithms will also be given a digital identity so that we know who is responsible for what."
The technical coordination of the project is in the hands of Serendipity. Managing Partner Jonas Onland: "The digital twin brings together all the data: how busy is it on campus, what is the state of buildings, how is the biodiversity of the site? This infrastructure enables the High Tech Campus to proactively manage the campus, plan scenarios and predict what maintenance is needed in the future. To visualise this, we use techniques such as VR and AR."
First tests by the end of 2021
Van Son does not expect it will soon be swarming with drones over the campus. "No. Instead, this project will explore how drones can improve the quality of our lives. We have this completely under control, which means we can safely test and investigate in what ways drones can be a positive addition in our society in the future." The first tests with the drones at the High Tech Campus are expected by the end of 2021.
Image: www.hollandfoto.net / Shutterstock.com
Text: Marije Bette
