{"id":13888,"date":"2020-12-11T15:44:02","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T14:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ggba.swiss\/switzerland-a-test-bed-for-drone-innovation\/"},"modified":"2023-07-04T13:40:09","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T11:40:09","slug":"switzerland-a-test-bed-for-drone-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ggba.swiss\/en\/switzerland-a-test-bed-for-drone-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland: a test bed for drone innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Co-developed by the Greater Zurich Area (GZA<\/a>) and Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa), the Virtual Swiss Drone Industry Tour offers a deep dive into the Swiss UAV ecosystem and its many facets, with the goal of outlining how international companies can participate in Switzerland\u2019s technological and regulatory march towards the future. The third episode of this four-part webinar series, “Testing and Refinement”, highlighted some of the dedicated infrastructure and support organizations in Switzerland, and presented the testimonials of two companies that are successfully using the country’s unique ecosystem as a backdrop to their technical and commercial developments.<\/h4>\n

\u201cSwitzerland has become a bellwether to the global UAV sector, with industry, researchers, academia, government and regulatory authorities all aligned and supporting continued advancements in the industry,\u201d said Matt Julian, Director USA at GGBa, in opening the third webinar of the Virtual Swiss Drone Industry Tour, before giving the floor to the first speaker.<\/p>\n

Jens Henkner is the CEO of CertX<\/a>, the first Swiss certification body for functional safety and cybersecurity, and among the first 10 in the world. As such, CertX co-authors the standards for future automated systems, autonomous mobility and cybersecurity based on its profound technical know-how. It also\u00a0provides comprehensive safety and security services, such as training and certification of engineers and managers, as well as inspection and certification of products and processes.\u00a0More specifically in the field of drones, CertX assists in defining necessary technical requirements for the drone or subsystems, certifies systems according to functional and cybersecurity standards, verifies compliance to technical requirements, supports with the SORA approval procedure, and acts as an independent 3rd party test agency for drone parachute.\u00a0“Switzerland has a large innovation ecosystem, which we are happy to serve,”\u00a0Henkner said.<\/p>\n

Guillaume Catry is the co-founder and CEO of WindShape<\/a>, a Geneva-based company that supports the drone industry with its unique capabilities for R&D, validation, and certification testing. \u201cDrone manufacturers want to develop drone applications that solve problems for society, such as delivering goods from one point to another,\u201d Catry explained, \u201cbut before they can get to that point, they need to not only develop competitive drones, but also to validate and certify them to make sure that they can achieve their mission without failing or without endangering people on the ground.\u201d Currently, 95% of drone manufacturers test their products outdoors, while 5% use conventional wind tunnels. Both options are equally unreliable according to Catry, who in 2017 invented the WindShaper, a digital wind and weather facility providing test services designed for drone testing and certification. Scalable and modular, the WindShaper can faithfully recreate any possible weather flight scenario, including the most extreme ones. After an engaging live demo, Guillaume Catry concluded his presentation by reiterating his openness to discuss with anyone involved in the certification or validation of drones.<\/p>\n

\n

“At swiss aeropole, you will find space to develop and grow your company, talented workforce, and a growing community of aerospace companies.”<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Massimo Fiorin<\/strong>, Director Business Park, swiss aeropole<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For companies that are interested in finding a home in Switzerland, swiss aeropole<\/a> represents an interesting option, as illustrated by the director of its business park Massimo Fiorin. The role of swiss aeropole is two-fold: it manages civil flights at Payerne Airport, and develops an aerospace-focused business and technology park that grew from three to 17 companies in the 18 months of its existence. \u201cThere is a momentum of companies joining our ecosystem,\u201d Fiorin commented, \u201cWe are currently working to onboard more drone companies \u2013 we have one so far \u2013 and also to open the site for tests.\u201d Swiss aeropole provides an ideal testing ground, as demonstrated by the success of Solar Impulse, which used the premises for crucial flight tests for five years before its round-the-world flight; and more recently by SolarStratos, another pioneering project whose goal is to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies, which has established its base on site. A wise choice if you ask Fiorin: \u201cAt swiss aeropole, you will find space to develop and grow your company, talented workforce, and a growing community of aerospace companies. We also offer support with whatever matters, from testing, to all the procedures to get established, depending on each company\u2019s individual needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"6,557 m\u00b2 of hangars, lounges for passengers, customs, a business center with 3,300 m\u00b2 of office space, conference venues and meeting rooms, as well as space for crews \u00a9 swiss aeropole<\/em><\/h5>\n

From Payerne in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, the Virtual Swiss Drone Industry Tour then continued to Schaffhausen, and more precisely the Schmerlat airfield<\/a>, which both Wings for Aid<\/a> and Daedalean AI<\/a> use as a testing ground.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSwitzerland is the perfect place to fly for the first time.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Barry Koperberg<\/strong>, Founder and GM, Wings for Aid<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Founded by Dutch entrepreneur Barry Koperberg in 2014, Wings for Aid helps humanitarian aid organizations bridge \u201cthe last mile\u201d\u200b in disaster struck and remote areas, through the development and operation of special-purpose UAVs. Their prototype \u2013 a large, remotely piloted cargo drone \u2013 needs to be tested according to the highest standards: \u201cWe were looking for a country with knowledgeable authorities with experience in SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment), appropriate terrain \u2013 the mountains are ideal \u2013 and a strong humanitarian legacy. Naturally, we ended up in Switzerland,\u201d explained Koperberg, \u201cSwitzerland is the perfect place to fly for the first time.\u201d The company intends to make its Swiss presence into a center of excellence, with test and training activities for pilots and ground crews, as well as the home base for flight operations: \u201cThe fleet and equipment will be positioned around the world because of our response time, but we intend to establish the home base for flight operations in Switzerland. We feel very welcome here, and experience a lot of professionalism throughout the ecosystem,\u201d Koperberg added.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe are lucky to be in a country with interesting terrain and features.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Anna Chernova<\/strong>, Co-founder and CPO, Daedalean AI<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anna Chernova Co-founder and CPO of Daedalean AI, also praised the local ecosystem: \u201cWe are super pleased with our cooperation with aviation and avionics companies in Switzerland, and the Schmerlat airfield is definitely one of those,\u201d she said. Founded in 2016, Daedalean AI develops autonomous piloting software systems for the civil aircraft of today and the advanced aerial mobility of tomorrow. The company uses not only helicopters and fixed-wing to conduct tests, but also professional drones: \u201cWe are lucky to be in a country with interesting terrain and features. For instance, for our first application which is based on vision, we need this type of terrain and weather conditions for flying.\u201d In addition to visual positioning, Daedalean AI is also developing traffic detection and landing guidance applications.<\/p>\n

\"\"Testing onboard UAV \u00a9 Daedalean AI<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n

The last instalment of the Virtual Swiss Drone Industry Tour webinar series is scheduled for December 14 under the title \u201cPartner and Deploy\u201d<\/a>. In this final episode, you will get to know potential Swiss partners and learn how to become one of the pioneers in deploying new drone technology.<\/p>\n

Watch the third session “Testing and Refinement”<\/h4>\n

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Register for the upcoming session<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Co-developed by the Greater Zurich Area (GZA) and Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa), the Virtual Swiss Drone Industry Tour offers a deep dive into the Swiss UAV ecosystem and its many facets, with the goal of outlining how international companies can participate in Switzerland\u2019s technological and regulatory march towards the future. 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