Facilities to test drones in all kinds

of wind and weather conditions

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
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.