Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Kyoto-based startup MetroWeather has gained a contract from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create wind maps that will enhance the safety of drones and eVTOL (flying cars) in urban areas.
The Urban Weather Sensing Infrastructure project will see MetroWeather partner with Virginia-based TruWeather Solutions to build an urban weather observation infrastructure to be used for a wide-scale deployment of commercial drones and eVTOL.
MetroWeather will play its role by providing the optimal sensing algorithm and sampling strategy for lidar (light detection and ranging, a technology that uses light to measure distances) in urban areas and developing the model for lidar data to be organized into a useable form.
The practical application is that this data will be used by pilots “to visualize local wind gusts and
windshear that affect drone takeoffs, landings, and flights in real time,” in the words of MetroWeather CEO Junichi Furumoto.
He added that the project is “expected to deploy a number of lidars not only at drone ports but also at regional airports. As such, we believe we can contribute to the realization of safe drone operations and air safety and security. MetroWeather is very proud to partner with TruWeather and to engage in this NASA-funded project, which will bring us even closer to realizing such world.”
The funding is part of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research grant program.
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