Tyto Robotics, a leader in electric propulsion testing, has launched a new testing capability known as Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) Testing.
According to the company, this cutting-edge technology allows users to test up to eight electric motors and propellers simultaneously using Tyto’s flagship thrust stand technology. Historically, Tyto’s systems could only test two motors and propellers simultaneously, so this update quadruples the capacity.
“Distributed electric propulsion is omnipresent in the world of UAVs and electric aviation,” said Charles Blouin, the company’s President. “We are excited to pioneer a tool that empowers developers to perform better, more realistic tests.”
The DEP Testing platform was designed as a way to let UAV and eVTOL developers and researchers test their aircraft’s entire propulsion system at once. It is also designed to be a plug-and-play solution so developers can focus on testing their system rather than developing their own test equipment.
The platform serves a wide array of applications – from drone design and manufacturing to academic research and development. Tyto predicts it may also end up on some clients’ production lines. For now the system can test up to eight motors and propellers at the same time, “but we’re confident we could scale it up if the market requires it,” said Blouin.
Some of the most important innovations can be found within the software – powertrain mapping, automated testing, a Python API, CAN ESC support, and more. With more powertrains comes more complexity, and many software updates were required to support that.
Tyto Robotics’ new DEP Testing platform is now available for purchase.