Unmanned Aerial Research

Sabin Center affiliates are developing new ways to use remotely piloted, fully autonomous aircraft answer to questions previously rendered unanswerable by physical barriers

Sabin Center affiliates are developing new ways to use remotely piloted, fully autonomous aircraft answer to questions previously rendered unanswerable by physical barriers.

Unmanned aircraft allow researchers study a variety of topics, ranging from meteorology to forest ecology, in areas that are too dangerous, too difficult, or too spatially extensive to observe directly.

The lab uses a multidisciplinary approach that integrates hardware design, software development, and remote sensing techniques to collect and analyze data. Current projects include ongoing operation of a multirotor helicopter to collect aerial imagery and atmospheric data, development of a long-range capable airplane, and development of new, lower cost aircraft with increased capabilities.

Individuals involved with this project include Wake Forest Professor Dr. Miles Silman, Department of Biology graduate student Maxwell Messinger and former Sabin Center postdoc Dr. Rebecca Powell.