On Austria's National Day, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology presented its groundbreaking developments in the field of automated aviation. Research groups from the AIT Center for Vision, Automation & Control and Center for Digital Safety & Security demonstrated how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can support rescue workers in crisis- and disaster management by providing valuable real-time information at the Austrian Armed Forces exhibition in Vienna from October 25 to 27, 2024.
Sustainable UAVs and swarm flight systems for disaster management
In an emergency, every second counts: with the research presented, the researchers showed how crisis and disaster management is supported by the use of UAVs and advanced sensor technology. The focus was on UAVs that create situation pictures from the air in a near-real-time swarm network and thus support emergency services in optimizing their operations. They also showed a state-of-the-art, sustainable unmanned aircraft, ELENA, which is certified according to the EASA “Specific” operating category and was developed for long periods of use and for missions beyond line of sight. It uses a hydrogen fuel cell for emission-free operation and is partly made of sustainable bio-composite materials.
In addition, the researchers presented CBRN SaaS, a PESCO project that represents a major step forward in the early detection, reconnaissance and monitoring of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents. The aim of the project was to develop and test a technological demonstrator together with the participating member states and an industrial consortium led by AIT as part of an EDA Cat.B. project. In addition, the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) project “CBRN Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (CBRN RSS)” is making a significant contribution to the overall PESCO project.
Great enthusiasm at the AIT stand
On all days of the event, the AIT stand attracted numerous visitors who were enthusiastic about the technologies presented. Particularly encouraging was the interest shown by many young people, who took the opportunity to find out more about aeronautical technology and possible career paths at AIT. Federal Minister K. Tanner also visited the exhibitors and learned about the research results at the AIT stand.
Successful presentation for school classes and the public
During the event days, the program was specifically geared to different target groups: On October 25 – Schools Day – school classes were given an exclusive insight into the research, before the presentation for the general public took place on October 26 and 27 – Austrian National Day. The positive response showed how relevant and fascinating developments in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles are.