IUAS – Institute for Unmanned Aerial Systems

The ELCOD (Endurance Low COst Drone) project was selected as part of the "INTERREG V – Science Initiative 2016” with a total budget of €991,918 (of which €495,959 came from the ERDF and €249,999 from regional funds).

Testing and measurement tasks that require a long range and extended flight time are typically carried out today by manned aircraft. However, this results in significant costs, high stress levels, and risks for pilots, crew, and equipment. On the other hand, available unmanned autonomous systems are in the high-price market segment and are primarily used in military applications. As part of the ELCOD (Endurance Low Cost Drone) project, our goal was to meet these requirements and close this gap. The EU-funded ELCOD consortium consisted of three academic partners—IUAS at Hochschule Offenburg, INSA Strasbourg, and CNRS/ICPEES Strasbourg—as well as various industry partners.

INSA Strasbourg focused on a low-emission electric propulsion system based on a fuel cell and investigated the manufacture of its own airframe using modern materials such as glass and carbon fiber.

At Hochschule Offenburg, the use of an optimized thermal engine propulsion system was investigated. In addition, a proprietary, highly robust airframe was developed there as well, though it was constructed using traditional wood.

To measure air pollution and meteorological variables, the CNRS/ICPEES developed special sensors for use in a UAV.

The IUAS at Hochschule Offenburg focuses on the fields of aerodynamics, structural analysis, flight dynamics, data control, communication, manufacturing processes, and the optimization of internal combustion engines.

Unfortunately, the very ambitious goal of developing an aircraft capable of covering approximately 5,000 km with a maximum takeoff weight of 25 kg and a payload of 5 kg was not achieved. Based on the measured flight data, only 3,400 km were reached. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to verify the range in real-world conditions, as long-distance flights could not be conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, thanks to the strong cross-border collaboration, the extensive exchange of knowledge, and the objectives achieved, the project can still be considered a success.

The ELCOD project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by the regional partners—the Grand Est region in Strasbourg and the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate—as part of the INTERREG V Upper Rhine program. 

The airframe of the autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) is based on commercial model helicopters capable of performing aerobatics. Various types with electric or gasoline engines are used, allowing for a maximum flight duration ranging from 45 minutes (electric) to several hours (gasoline). The avionics and the ground station were developed entirely at IUAS.

The range of applications for these “carrier platforms” is very versatile. The electric models are used for inspections, photographic documentation, air sampling, weather data collection, and to “entertain students,” with the highest tested altitude currently at 3,600 meters above ground level or approximately 4,500 meters above sea level. 

The gasoline-powered models can, in principle, cover the same range of applications as the autonomous electric-powered unmanned aerial vehicles; however, handling them is somewhat more complex due to the use of gasoline. For this reason, gasoline-powered autonomous aircraft are deployed in situations where long flight times, long ranges, and payload capacity are critical, or where the logistics for charging batteries are not available. A good example of this is an operation in Greenland to locate and herd reindeer, which required flying over large areas. 

Technical details of the two main types:

The IUAS also owns a quadcopter, which is used as a test platform for sensors and avionics.

In industrial food manufacturing, contamination by foreign bodies such as glass splinters, stones, plastics, ceramics, or metal parts occasionally occurs. Meat or fish products often still contain bone fragments or fishbones, while fruit products (e.g., jam) may contain pits, seeds, or small pieces of wood. Such foreign objects can harm and injure consumers and must therefore be detected in a timely manner at the end of the production line.

Today, foreign objects in food are primarily detected using X-ray scanners. However, the use of this technology is complex, expensive, and requires specialized radiation protection. Consequently, research is underway to develop alternative methods that can replace X-ray systems in specific application scenarios. This can be achieved using low-energy electromagnetic waves in the GHz and THz frequency ranges.

At the IUAS institute, a measurement system is being developed that utilizes radar technology in the lower GHz range to detect foreign bodies in food. This approach exploits the fact that foreign objects reflect electromagnetic radiation in a characteristic manner. The FMCW radar operates as a broadband MIMO system. A particular challenge lies in the speed of foreign object detection, as the available time is in the range of just one second per object.

Industry expectations for radar technology are high, which is why industrial partners have additionally been supporting this development with significant funding for several years.

Dielectric material characterization is crucial in high-frequency technology, as substrate properties determine wave propagation. The dielectric constant influences antenna size, while the loss tangent describes signal attenuation. Depending on your requirements, we use broadband probes, high-precision resonators, or contactless free-space measurements in the millimeter-wave range for these measurements.

We perform these precise measurements for you directly in our labs. You can find an overview of our technical capabilities on our equipment page. 

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Germany, with over 200,000 new cases each year, of which about 20,000 are malignant melanoma (black skin cancer). Since conventional visual diagnosis relies heavily on specialist expertise and has a detection rate that varies between 56% and 80%, research is being conducted in collaboration with research partners to develop a more precise method using millimeter waves. This method takes advantage of the fact that the water content of tumors differs from that of healthy skin, which measurably alters the reflection of electromagnetic waves.