What once started as a mission to test an aircraft on Mars has turned into research using drones at the University of Kentucky that now helps engineers predict tornadoes.
UK has been using drones in research since the early 2000s, which initially focused on flight control. But now, those same drones are considered advanced and low-cost engineering tools to measure atmospheric properties useful for meteorologists.
Most of the foundational work was led by Suzanne Smith, an emeritus professor who recently retired after working more than 20 years with drones. When UK researchers first began testing drones, they were primarily looking at collapsible, inflatable, deployable wings.
Read more at Kentucky.com.
