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The ImAFUSA project has successfully conducted its first drone test flights!
During three days, 19, 20, and 21 February 2024, our partners from Delft University Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, ICCS - Institute of Communications and Computer Systems, the Municipality of Egaleo, and Future Needs Management Consulting Ltd gathered in the sunny “Baroutadiko” urban park of Egaleo Municipality, in Athens, Greece for the first test flights. Their work aimed to measure the noise produced by a drone in the air quality measurement scenario of our project.
Our partners used specialised technical equipment to record sound pressure levels and to measure air quality at various elevations and locations. The peculiar tree-like equipment you see in the below photograph (number 1), may look like an art installation, but it is actually an array for the capture of the noise made by a drone! More specifically, this device is the CAE Bionic M-112, a 112 MEMS-microphone array of 1-m diameter. It is used to record sound pressure levels, and it can detect the source of noises as well.
The controller in the second photograph was used to overview the location and elevation of the drone during the rehearsal flights. By making use of a software called Litchi, a programmed flight path can be flown as seen on the controller. In this way, the air quality in a 3D area can be obtained.
Last, the high-tech equipment in photograph number 3 is an air quality sensor box capable of measuring various air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM). It is equipped with a drone to measure air quality at various elevations and locations. The data can be read out real time on a computer.
Another aspect of this work included some social research on the acceptance of drones through brief interviews conducted during the flights. The citizens of Egaleo who watched the flights during these days answered our questions on the use of drones, showed great interest in our work, and were eager to learn more about the future vision of urban aviation. It was great meeting them and spreading the information about the upcoming official flights.
You can stay updated on the upcoming official flights by following our social media and checking
the news section on the project’s website.