{"id":56069,"date":"2024-03-11T14:43:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T18:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/?p=56069"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:52:59","slug":"urban-air-mobility-using-simulation-to-define-safety-protocol-for-the-city-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/urban-air-mobility-using-simulation-to-define-safety-protocol-for-the-city-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban air mobility: Using simulation to define safety protocol for the city of the future\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

London. Bogota. New York City. Lagos. Mumbai. Sydney. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is one thing all these major international cities have in common?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Road traffic.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congested roads do more than waste commuter time. They hinder emergency first responders, increase the likelihood of car accidents, and reduce overall quality of life.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) offers a promising solution to the world\u2019s road traffic problem. In 2022, the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme granted funding for the Aurora (sAfe Urban aiR mObility for euRopeAn citizens) project<\/a>. The goal: \u201cDevelop and integrate safety-critical technologies to support autonomous flight UAM in urban environments, focusing its demonstrations primarily on emergency-related applications.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project brought together 8 partners from 5 EU countries, all with expertise in aeronautics, smart city technologies, image processing, sensing and social science to foster adoption of UAM and ensure that it has a beneficial impact on people and society. Siemens Digital Industries Software<\/a> was selected as one of these partners, alongside leading organizations such as SEAL Aeronautica<\/a>, Ghent University<\/a>, Thales Six GTS France<\/a>, University of Pisa<\/a>, Robodrone<\/a>, and University of Florence<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of Siemens was to develop simulation models of the environment, the drone, and its sensors. Using Simcenter Amesim<\/a> for the system simulation, Simcenter Prescan<\/a> for modeling the environment, and NX<\/a> to build the CAD models, Simcenter Engineering Services<\/a> and the Simcenter product team<\/a> worked with project partners to explore the use of drones for three hypothetical use cases:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. First responders: Search and rescue mission <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Urgent logistics: Delivering emergency goods <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Smart city: Energy management\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        In addition to exploring the feasibility and safety of UAM, these scenarios were designed to help the EU answer questions such as:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        1. Will UAM contribute to greenhouse gas emissions?  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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          1. Will it help decrease air pollution in cities?  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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            1. Will it contribute to noise pollution? <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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              1. Could it cause injuries?  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                1. Would it really help relieve traffic congestion?\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  UAM use case 1: Search and rescue mission\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  Consider this scenario: A child has gone missing. He was last seen in Lu\u017e\u00e1nky Park in Brno, Czech Republic. Covering an area of 22.3 hectares, Lu\u017e\u00e1nky is the largest park in the city.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  First responders have come up with a solution. Using a Robodrone Sparrow, they will be able to automatically search the park by air, saving valuable time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  However, during this search, the drone will face obstacles. In this simulation, the drone needs to avoid a search and rescue helicopter that is also searching the park. It will also need to land safely in case of an emergency or low battery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n