Any university researchers on this forum using multirotors ?

ZAxis

Member
Is anybody on this forum using Multirotors as part of a university research project ?
We see a lot of posts from hobby fliers, aerial photographers/videographers and hardware nuts but I can't remember seeing any university types talking about what they do.

andy
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
i've tried multiple times to contact the Penn research team that does the flying videos we see on youtube, the most recent was the formation flying demo. Their facility is just an hour or two from my house and I'd like to go do a story for the site but I can't get a response!
anyone know that group?
 

ZAxis

Member
I'd like to do the same with the crowd from ETH in Zurich. Our company has 2 instruments within 100m of their lab, I've probably walked past their window but I've not been able to wrangle a trip there in past two years.... I'll just keep hoping.

andy
 




Mactadpole

Member
I have been working with multi's for almost two years now trying to get to the point where I feel comfortable with a final setup and flying. You can see some of my interests in my first post here: http://www.multirotorforums.com/sho...for-tropical-forest-research-and-conservation

I will graduating soon and my intent is to secure post-doc funding to fully implement the use of multi's and their remote sensing capabilities to answer a bunch of questions I have about tropical forest canopies. I'll do my best to keep posting about it. Unfortunately, dissertation writing is fully encompassing my time these days so not much flying. :-(

Shawn
 




ZAxis

Member
Shawn,
You seem to the only science researcher taking full advantage of multi rotors on this forum. Its a bit disappointing given the possibilities presented. I just wonder if its lack of exposure in the scientific world thats holding things back or bad press ? A little while back an Ignoble prize was awarded to a team collecting whale snot using an RC helicopter off the back of their research vessel which should have woken up some interest, in a perverse way, but doesn't seem so.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11447095
Have you presented any talks or posters about your use of multi rotors ? If so, what kind of interest did it spark ? Idle fascination or a true interest in taking things forward ?

andy
 

ZAxis

Member
I'm picking this thread up again because of a chance encounter.
I'm visiting a customer at an environmental science lab at ANU, Canberra, Oz and we got around to talking about multirotors. As we were leaving the lab I noticed a photo of an experiment they had in progress which was monitoring CO2 above forest canopies. Remembering MacTadpole's posts I suggested an MR would be an ideal tool to give quick remote sample collection. He told me there was another researcher who wanted to get regular aerial photographs of an experimental plot who had considered using a quadrocopter. So we met up and had a quick chat about the ins and outs of quadcopters, putting them straight that GPS is a great tool but it does not mean an inexperienced pilot can fly the thing. I hope they will find a pilot and take up using MRs for some true scientific work.
The real irony of this meeting is that the researcher was an overseas visitor from ETH in Zurich ..... home to those amazing quadcopter formation flying and music playing videos. A quick walk down a corridor should find her a pilot or perhaps the chance to not need one !

andy
 

Top