SensAir

Why it's Important

Clear air turbulence (CAT) is a significant hazard for aviation, causing injuries to passengers and crew, and leading to costly damages to aircraft. Unlike turbulence associated with weather systems, CAT is invisible and difficult to detect with conventional radar systems.

The ability to predict and detect CAT in real-time can greatly enhance flight safety and efficiency. By providing pilots with advanced warnings, they can take preventive measures to avoid turbulence, ensuring a smoother and safer flight experience for everyone on board.

SensAir's innovative approach using laser technology and AI-driven insights aims to address this critical issue, making air travel safer and more reliable. Our mission is to minimize the risks associated with CAT and contribute to the advancement of aviation safety standards globally.

How SensAir Works

Laser Photon Reflections

We use nanosecond-accurate pulsed lasers and single photon–sensitive photomultipliers to measure the exact time a photon takes to return to the device after reflecting off an atom in the air. Through the Doppler shift created by the reflection, the photon's wavelength changes and we calculate the velocity and then position of the particle, within 300 millimeters of accuracy and with a range of 4-16 km.

Fluid Dynamics Simulation

Through calculations using the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, we take in individual datapoints from each particle measured by the laser to construct a 3D map of what the air flow looks like ahead of the aircraft.

AI Insights

Using a 3D convolutional neural network trained on turbulence data, an AI model actively monitors the readout and alerts the pilots to anything suspicious. This helps them catch turbulence easily and save time when trying to avoid it.

The Prototype

The prototype of SensAir is a compact device that can be easily installed on any aircraft. It consists of a nanosecond-pulse laser emitter and a photomultiplier that work together to measure the velocity and position of particles in the air.

The laser beam is fitted with an beam expander lens to expand it in a 2D plane to scan a portion of the air ahead. It spins around at high speeds to scan the entire volume in front of the aircraft.

The photomultiplier detects single photons reflected off particles in the air, allowing us to calculate the velocity and position of each particle by knowing the time of travel. This data is then fed into our AI model to provide real-time insights to pilots.

CAT Map Satellite API

Satellite Connection

Using a satellite connection, all SensAir API–enabled aircraft are connected to the global map to receive data.

Global SensAir Network

Every SensAir-equipped aircraft sends its data to the satellite network to give new data to the model to keep it up to date.

Hybrid RNN/CNN–NWP CAT Prediction Model

Through a hybrid model combining neural networks like RNNs and CNNs as well as tradition weather models (NWPs), an accurate prediction of a global map is created, allowing pilots to avoid them in advance.

Future Plans

Enhanced AI Algorithms

We plan to develop more advanced AI algorithms to improve the accuracy and reliability of our turbulence detection system.

Global Expansion

Our goal is to expand our network globally, ensuring that SensAir is available to airlines and aviation companies worldwide.

Real-time Data Integration

We aim to integrate real-time data from various sources to provide up-to-the-minute turbulence information to pilots and airlines.

More Types of Turbulence

We aspire to use our hardware to classify and detect more types of turbulence, like high ice water content from adiabatic/non-adiabatic lapse rate and scanning for birds.