The project SIX it experiments with spectral sensor fusion techniques of data acquired by UAVs during pre-flight inspection of aircraft.
In the Air Force, an important safety issue concerns the presence of ice on the fuselage and wings of the aircraft.
Ice on the wings can cause loss of lift and stall, which in most cases would result, during take-off, in the plane's fatal crash.
Another important aspect to consider is the high amount of antifreeze liquid normally involved in the process; this liquid is ethylene glycol based, the disadvantages of which are twofold: environmentally, it is toxic and harmful to the environment; economically, it makes the defrosting procedure quite expensive.
The target customers of this project are ground handling companies operating at airports for defrosting operations.
With the use of this system, defrost operations will be cheaper, more environmentally friendly, faster and more reliable.
It is expected that a ground handling company by adopting this system will be able to save up to 50% of defrost liquids, thus allowing a repayment of the investment within the first year after the investment.
The proposed solution is based on a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) platform to improve aircraft inspection before take-off and perform more streamlined defrosting procedures.
This innovative solution is patented (PCT /IB2017 /051330) and experiments conducted in recent years in ice detection using spectral cameras and classification methods through neural networks.
