NYU Tandon/VTT drone project could lead to improved emergency response in cities

December 31, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

NYU Tandon School of Engineering at 6 MetroTech, Downtown Brooklyn. Wikipedia photo by JGunaratne

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DOWNTOWN — NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING in Downtown Brooklyn and research partner VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are wrapping up a three-year project that could eventually push the use of drones by emergency responders to the next level, Morningstar reports. The AERIAL research project, which ended in December, lays a foundation for the development of faster and smoother wireless communication between Unmanned Aerial Systems and ground units, such as cars or robots, using extremely high frequency radio waves known as millimeter-waves (mmWave), like those used in 5G cellphone networks. Drones could be used to spot traffic ahead of ambulance vehicles or provide aerial views of disaster zones, but using mmWave frequencies in dense urban environments poses challenges.

“Communication with drones involves several technical challenges, such as signal propagation and system compactness issues,” NYU Tandon Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Sundeep Rangan told Morningstar. More research is needed, and regulations need to be established, before the system can be commercially deployed.

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