Grijze cellen | Drones
The military uses drones in conflict situations, the government to watch us. Brokers and film industry look into their potential to shoot nice images, and farmers deploy them to scout for crop diseases. Drone technologies rapidly evolve and the applications seem endless. Two scientist zoom in on fascinating case studies. Bart Remes (TU Delft) tells about the development of microdrones and will give a drone demonstration. Jon Verbeke (KU Leuven) will speak about the use of drones for agricultural purposes. After the lectures drone journalist Stijn Postema will talk with them about obstacles and future possibilities.
Since 2003 Bart Remes is project manager for the MAVLab (Micro Aerial Vehicle Laboratory) at the Aerospace Faculty of the TuDelft. When it began, 19 years ago, nobody believed in the future of this small devices. Now the MAVLab has a central spot in the activities of the Aerospace Faculty. The prestigious research done at the lab is unique in the world. It ranges from flapping wing vehicles, to hybrids aerial vehicles as well as the smallest open source autopilot in the world, a 2 by 2 cm device. They fit in smaller spaces and they can carry cameras, which makes them highly suitable instruments to use during rescue operations. Remes will give a lecture and a demonstration with a microdrone developed at the MAVLab.
Jon Verbeke works as a teacher at the Technology Campus of the KU Leuven in Ostend and is also a researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the KU Leuven at the Robotics Research Group. Verbeke focuses on the development of an innovative rotary platform, specifically designed for inspection of fruit orchards. The goal is to fly an RPA autonomously through the orchard, in between the trees, and image the fruit with sideward looking cameras. Post flight, these images are processed to estimate the harvest yield. This multicopter can also be used to detect tree pests and diseases. During his lecture Verbeke will give an overview of the research on drones at the KU Leuven, with a focus on his own research.
Organisation: deBuren, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen (FWO), Wetenschappelijk Tijdschrift Eos, KU Leuven and STUK in the context of the Artefact Expo/Festival Up in the Air.
