Drone Thrust Stands & Wind Tunnel Testing Systems for Defense & Aerospace OEMs

Tyto Robotics is a leading developer of high-precision testing solutions for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and drones. Our drone motor and propeller thrust stands, along with our state-of-the-art wind tunnel testing systems, allow defense and aerospace OEMs and technology developers to maximize the efficiency and performance of their unmanned aircraft designs.

Windshapers – Wind Tunnel Testing for Drones

Wind tunnel alternatives for free-flight UAV testing

Windshapers are open air wind generators that provide a convenient and versatile alternative to wind tunnel testing and can be easily integrated into your own lab. The modular and scalable system is based around blocks of nine fans measuring 10 by 10 inches, and can be customized to meet your unique drone flight testing requirements.

The included software allows users to control each fan individually with simple commands, generating wind conditions that closely mimic the real world. A wide variety of parameters can be customized, including windflow speed, shape and direction, turbulence, convergence, and tilt angle.

Drone tests that can be performed with Windshaper systems include:

• Free flight under varying wind flow conditions
• Landing phase optimization
• Fixed-wing profile optimization
• Waterproofing
• VTOL transition to/from forward flight

Learn more: Wind Tunnel Testing for Drones, with Windshapers

Flight Stand 150

Thrust and torque testing for large drone motors and propellers

The Flight Stand 150 is the largest COTS drone thrust stand currently on the market, allowing manufacturers of military and government drones and eVTOL aircraft to precisely characterize and evaluate the performance of motors and propellers. The thrust stand provides the ability to measure up to 150 kgf of thrust and 150 Nm of torque.

An innovative solid-state design with no moving parts between the motor and load cells ensures frictionless measurement, and the stand’s ultra-compact profile provides minimal airflow disturbance.

A variety of different configurations can be tested, including single-motor, back-to-back dual motors, front-to-front dual motors, or offset dual motors.

Learn more: Flight Stand 150

Drone Thrust Stands for Motor and Propeller Testing

Drone propulsion system testing for unmanned aircraft of all sizes

We also provide professional thrust stand solutions for defense and aerospace OEMs that cater for drones of all sizes, from small multirotors through to large fixed-wing platforms. The stands allow users to measure thrust and torque, as well as a variety of other parameters including RPM, current, voltage, temperature, propeller efficiency and motor efficiency. The stands feature load cells calibrated to ASTM E74/E2428 standards, providing the most precise measurement on the market (+/-0.5% of the measured value) and enabling highly accurate characterization of drone propulsion systems.

All drone thrust stands are bundled with our advanced data acquisition software, allowing you to easily and intuitively control the stand, log data, and automate testing.

Learn more: Drone Thrust Stands

Distributed Electric Propulsion Testing Solutions

Simultaneous testing of up to 8 drone motors and propellers

Our distributed electric propulsion test platform enables developers to connect up to eight motors and propellers simultaneously, providing realistic simulation of real-world drone powertrain designs. The system enables a wide variety of critical testing capabilities, including vibration measurement, evaluation of ESC responsiveness, characterization of components, and more.

With our proprietary Flight Stand software, users can control and record data for up to eight stands from a single computer. Any possible configurations can be tested, including quadcopter and other multirotor arrangements as well as coaxial designs.

The test solution is available in three different ratings – 15 kgf, 50 kgf and 150 kgf.

Learn more: Distributed Electric Propulsion Testing