RESEARCH
The focus of activities on the Ludwig Bölkow Campus is application-oriented research with the objective to enable and boost innovation. The current research activities on the LBC extend to four areas of research:
AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
Service from the air
When the postman doesn't ring anymore! Autonomous systems such as unmanned aircraft will soon be part of everyday life. One example of this is quick and reliable postal delivery from the air. Far more complex drones can also be flown over pipelines and power lines in areas where access is difficult, for monitoring purposes and to report damage. In order to attain the highest possible degree of automation, realistic parameters are defined on the LBC for applications and missions of all kinds. Unmanned aircraft will therefore be in a position to record and interpret relevant information, and ultimately to take decisions based on that information.
GREEN AEROSPACE
Biokerosene, electric drives and lightweight construction
Well equipped for the future: The research conducted on the LBC today will help to drastically reduce harmful emissions in just a few years time. What is now considered futuristic will soon become reality. Starting and landing aircraft with climate-neutral biokerosene produced from algae. Hybrid-electric and electric drive systems will relieve the pressure on our environment. It is expected that the technical feasibility of these innovative engine systems will have been proven by 2020. And by 2030, passengers should be able to take their seats for safe take-off in commercial aircraft with a capacity of up to 100. New production methods such as “3D printing” and the intelligent use of new lightweight materials, such as carbon fibre composites, will similarly make a key contribution to “low-emission flight”.
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
Simulations and demonstrations
Cumulative expertise in the area of “System of Systems”: The overall system capability is a major factor in innovative capacity, and represents an increasing technological and commercial challenge. However, at the same time it is also a prerequisite for the development, qualification and approval of highly-complex products and systems. This expertise is provided on the LBC using system engineering approaches and methods, as well as suitable laboratory facilities. Integration laboratories and simulation capacities for prototypes and demonstrators are being developed and constructed on the campus. These facilities are also used for the qualification and approval of new aircraft.
PUBLIC SECURITY
Security in the air‐ and cyberspace
Airborne systems are already a key element today of civil security. Yet, current technological developments pose new challenges to the aerospace industry – for example through cyber attacks on our infrastructure or through misuse of unmanned aircraft. To guarantee security in spite of these changes, some highly promising approaches are being devel- oped on the LBC. Typical examples of this include the deployment and defence of autonomous aircraft for civil security purposes, and the development of systems which reliably protect the aerospace sector against cyber attacks in the long term.
Please find hereafter a list of research projects @ Ludwig Bölkow Campus. All projects are government-funded by Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology.
AURAIS