![]() This energy can be used to power the device. Used extensively in architectural coatings and lithium ion batteries, PVDF can be piezoelectric, which means that it produces electrical energy when a pressure is applied to it. The team used an electric polymer called polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). ![]() Leon Headings, co-author of the study and a senior research associate in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State, said the instrument was fabricated from smart materials – matter with properties that can be controlled, enabling them to sense and react to their environment. But the Ohio State team’s anemometer is lightweight, low-energy, low-drag and more sensitive to changes in pressure than conventional types. Because anemometers can be expensive to make, consume high amounts of energy, and have a high aerodynamic drag – meaning the instrument opposes the aircraft’s motion through the air – many types are ill-suited for small aircraft. Their research was published in the journal Frontiers in Materials.Ĭonventional anemometers vary in how they collect their data, but all of them have limitations, said Dapino. “But to operate these flying objects, precise wind measurements must be available in real time whether the vehicle is manned or unmanned.” Besides helping aerial objects cross long distances, accurate wind measurements are also important for energy forecasting and optimizing the performance of wind turbines, he said. “Our ability to use the airspace to move or transport things in an efficient manner has huge societal implications,” said Dapino. Such enhancements could improve how people use their local airspace, whether it be through drones delivering packages or passengers one day flying on unmanned aircraft, said Marcelo Dapino, co-author of the study and a professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering at The Ohio State University. As demand for autonomous aircraft increases, better wind sensors are needed to make it easier for these vehicles to both sense weather changes and perform safer take-offs and landings, according to researchers. These wind sensors – called anemometers – are used to monitor wind speed and direction. Engineers have designed and successfully tested a more efficient wind sensor for use on drones, balloons and other autonomous aircraft.
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