Micro aircraft IMPULLS improves avionic systems and sensors

Maiden flight of a test aircraft developed by postgrads at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen

2011-04-07

(Press-News.org) A novel test aircraft of the TU Muenchen successfully completed its maiden flight yesterday at the airfield of the MFC Red Baron near Heimstetten. The micro aircraft christened "IMPULLS" (Innovative Modular Payload UAV – TUM LLS) will facilitate testing aviation sensors and systems. It was jointly developed by postgraduate students at the Institute of Aircraft Design and the Institute of Flight System Dynamics in Garching. Propelled by a compact electric motor, the aircraft flies quietly and free of emissions.

A particularly important feature of the novel design is its modular construction. This allows the scientists to install a wide variety of systems to be tested under flight conditions. This also applies to components of the electric propulsion unit, since the scientists intend to use IMPULLS to investigate possible implementations of electric and hybrid propulsion systems in aircraft.

UAVs like IMPULLS are ideal for measuring atmospheric pollution, for aerial geo-surveying or monitoring the environment and infrastructures from above. A further field of deployment is information collection in emergencies and dangerous situations. Appropriately equipped UAVs can also be deployed in adverse weather conditions or hazardous situations that would pose an unreasonable risk to pilots.

"Thanks to advances in miniaturization and improved performance of sensor and avionics systems, we can use IMPULLS as a cornerstone for these kind of developments," says Professor Mirko Hornung, chair of the Institute of Aircraft Design. Deriving and understanding the associated business models and ranges of services are also topics that can be investigated using the IMPULLS platform.

IMPULLS has a wingspan of 5 meters and an empty weight of 20 kilograms. It is propelled by a two-kilowatt electric motor. The UAV can carry a payload of 10 kilograms and fly non-stop for up to 75 minutes. As in commercial aircraft, essential safety-relevant components are designed redundantly.

INFORMATION:

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Bronx Bus Accident Claims 15 NYC Lives, Negligent Hiring Suspected

2011-04-07

Witnesses to a recent fatal bus crash in the Bronx told law enforcement that the bus was veering erratically before flipping onto one side and striking a sign post. The post sliced through the passenger compartment almost to the rear of the vehicle, creating horrific carnage in the passenger area and nearly removing the roof. The bus was returning from a Connecticut casino to Chinatown in Manhattan when the accident occurred early on a Saturday morning, just after the bus entered the Bronx from Westchester County. A host of reports soon after indicated that the driver, ...

Seeing rice with X-rays may improve crop yields

2011-04-07

College Park, Md. (April 6, 2011) -- Most people experience X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanners when they are evaluated for a suspected tumor or blood clot. But in the lab of Dr. Quin Liu, PhD., in Wuhan China, rice plants were the patients in a novel use of CT scanners as part of an agriculture study to increase rice yield. Into the CT scanner on a conveyor belt went little potted rice plants in an automated facility that could process 4,320 rice plants a day. The non-invasive CT energy analyzed tissues and matched their traits against a computer program to aid ...

Malpractice Case Highlights Expert Testimony Disclosure in Connecticut

2011-04-07

When it comes to arguing and proving medical malpractice claims at trial, providing strong expert testimony to support these cases is crucial. The Supreme Court of Connecticut recently decided a case, Klein v. Norwalk, which highlights this important tactic, as well as the standard for disclosing what points an expert will make during testimony. Although this case had a long and difficult journey through multiple Connecticut courts, and continues to make waves, the Connecticut Supreme Court made Klein v. Norwalk a noteworthy opinion. Klein's Claim According to the ...

Here's looking at you!

2011-04-07

CORAL GABLES, FL (April 6, 2011)—Learning how babies communicate can teach us a lot about the development of human social interactions. Psychologist Daniel Messinger, from the University of Miami (UM), studies infants' interactions and has found that babies are not simply living in the moment. Instead, infants seem to have particular interests that create historical footprints reflected in the infants' visual engagement over time. The findings were published today, in a study titled, 'Are You Interested, Baby?' Young Infants Exhibit Stable Patterns of Attention during Interaction." ...

New device promises safer way to deliver powerful drugs

2011-04-07

College Park, Md. (April 6, 2011) -- A new drug delivery device designed and constructed by Jie Chen, Thomas Cesario and Peter Rentzepis promises to unlock the potential of photosensitive chemicals to kill drug-resistant infections and perhaps cancer tumors as well. Photosensitive chemicals are molecules that release single oxygen atoms and chemical radicals when illuminated. These radicals are very active chemically, and can rip apart and destroy bacteria, said Peter Rentzepis, a professor of chemistry at University of California, Irvine. Yet photosensitive chemicals ...

Planning Issues for Elderly Parents

2011-04-07

Watching your parents age is an emotional and often challenging experience. For members of the "sandwich" generation, the need to consider care for aging parents comes while parenting duties for their own children continue. The double-duty can be difficult, especially serious health and financial issues are involved. The Child Becomes the Caregiver For example, many adult children must make sudden decisions when mom or dad falls and breaks a hip or is diagnosed with the first signs of Alzheimer's disease. Once this happens, the tables have turned, and the child ...

Adolescent body mass index can predict young adulthood diabetes and heart disease

2011-04-07

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL - April 7, 2011 – A large cohort study following 37,000 teenagers for 17 years found that an elevated, yet normal range Body Mass Index (BMI) constitutes a substantial risk factor for obesity-related disorders in young adults (age 30-40). The study showed that elevated BMI in adolescence has distinctive relationships with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease in young adulthood. Researchers showed that diabetes is influenced mainly by recent BMI and weight gain. However, for coronary heart disease, both elevated BMI in adolescence and recent ...

Refusal skills help minority youths combat smoking, study finds

2011-04-07

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Youths identified as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) have the greatest lifetime smoking rate of all racial groups, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly half of the 1.2 million AI/AN youths in the U.S. smoke cigarettes. A University of Missouri study found that public health strategies to combat smoking should teach refusal skills to help youths combat smoking influences, including family members and peers. "Smoking and quitting behaviors are heavily influenced by factors in the immediate environment, including family, ...

Utah House Passes Law to Allow More Restaurant Liquor Licenses; Awaiting Senate Approval

2011-04-07

For almost a quarter of a century, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has distributed alcohol permits to bar and restaurant owners based on a formulaic population quota system rooted in state law. But this system of liquor license rationing has proven a major headache for enterprising Utah restaurant moguls looking to take advantage of one of the fastest growing markets for eateries in the nation. Census reports show slower than expected population growth in Utah (so the number of issued liquor licenses actually exceeds the amount technically allowed ...

Is Hands Free Driving Safer?

2011-04-07

A recent news story talks about the tension between driving safely and the proliferation of electronic devices one can use in a car. Many of them can now be used "hands free" with the hope that it will prevent drivers from fumbling around, trying to type in a number or a text as they drive down the highway. Not everyone is convinced that merely making cell phones, GPSs, iPods and every other electronic device people use in cars, hands free will really help people drive safely. Studies by the National Transportation Safety Board have pointed out that texting while ...

National Foundation for Cancer Research CEO Sujuan Ba Named One of OncoDaily’s 100 Most Influential Oncology CEOs of 2025

Caring Cross and Boston Children’s Hospital collaborate to expand access to gene therapy for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia

Mount Sinai review maps the path forward for cancer vaccines, highlighting promise of personalized and combination approaches

Illinois study: How a potential antibiotics ban could affect apple growers

UC Irvine and Jefferson Health researchers find differences between two causes of heart valve narrowing

[Press-News.org] Micro aircraft IMPULLS improves avionic systems and sensors
Maiden flight of a test aircraft developed by postgrads at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen

Micro aircraft IMPULLS improves avionic systems and sensors

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: