Quiet Drones 2024
Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Page last updated 08 May 2024
Guillaume Malaval (EASA)
Approach to Noise Regulation of Unmanned Aviation in the European Union.
With over two decades immersed in aircraft noise, Guillaume leverages his industry insights alongside nearly five years as regulator at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). With a master’s degree in mechanical engineering specialized in Acoustics from the French École Centrale de Lyon, Guillaume kickstarted his professional journey in 2003, working on Community Noise for Airbus in Toulouse before relocating his expertise to Bombardier Aerospace in Toronto. There, he dedicated 10 years to aircraft noise modelling and played a central role in the noise certification of three flagship programs. Transitioning to EASA in 2020 as a Noise Expert, he has since been involved on several certification programs for both large and small conventional aircraft. He is currently producing the Agency's noise regulations tailored to the growing domains of drones and air taxis.
About the Keynote
This keynote will delve into the regulatory framework established by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) concerning the noise of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) weighing below 600 kg and Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL)-capable aircraft (VCA). It will provide insights into EASA's approach to regulate noise from these novel designs and thereby mitigate the impact on the environment and communities.
EASA decided to address the regulation of UAS noise through the development of a tailored noise measurement procedure, due to the inadequacy of available noise measurement standards. The keynote will present the outcome of various studies supporting this development and details the EASA UAS noise measurement guidelines through a general overview and the description of a typical noise test for UAS. The topic of UAS noise limits is also presented.
Regarding the noise regulation of VCA, EASA used the possibilities of the European Union (EU) regulatory framework and addressed the noise regulations of designs already submitted to the Agency through the issuance of Environmental Protection Technical Specifications (EPTS) for VCA equipped with both non-tilting and tilting rotors. These EPTS are essential for assessing and regulating the noise of VTOL-capable aircraft, contributing to a comprehensive regulatory framework.
Finally, the keynote speaker will emphasize the importance of collecting consistent noise datasets and establishing noise limits to further refine the EU regulatory framework for both UAS and VCA.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roland Sottek
Psychoacoustics standards using the Sottek Hearing Model and their applications.
Professor Dr.-Ing. Roland Sottek has a position as Adjunct Professor in Psychoacoustics at the Division of Applied Acoustics at Chalmers University of Technology since 2016. He received a diploma in Electrical Engineering / Communications Engineering from the Technical University of Aachen in 1987 and a doctor’s degree in 1993 for his doctoral research study “Signal Processing Model of the Human Auditory System”.
From 1987 to 1988 he worked as a scientist at the Philips Research Laboratory Aachen. In 1989 he joined HEAD acoustics where he was first Principal Scientist, later Head of the HEAD Consult NVH department and since 2002 Head of the newly established HEAD Research NVH department. In June 2023 he received the new role of Chief Scientific Advisor, directly supporting the Managing Director with scientific expertise. During his work at HEAD acoustics, he was involved in numerous consulting projects mainly related to automotive applications, as well as in 18 publicly funded national and international research projects. He is author or co-author of more than 150 publications and supervisor of more than 30 theses.
About the Keynote
Sound quality metrics are often used to analyze complex sound scenarios, e.g., for soundscape applications. Sound quality can also affect the health and well-being of people in a particular environment. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the definition of good sound quality in a given context is as precise as possible. In this regard, psychoacoustic indicators are usually used to develop these metrics.
In his lecture, Roland Sottek will review the Sottek Hearing Model Loudness (recently standardized in ECMA 418-2 2nd Edition), a new approach to time-varying loudness based on a nonlinear combination of partial tonal and noise loudness (introduced in ECMA-74 17th Edition as part of the Sottek Hearing Model Tonality, now moved to ECMA 418-2) to better account for the fact that the loudness of tonal components, i.e., tonal loudness, may have a stronger influence on loudness perception than the loudness caused by the noise components, i.e., noise loudness. He will also give a brief introduction to psychoacoustic modulation analyses based on the Sottek Hearing Model: the Sottek Hearing Model Roughness for the assessment of fast modulated sounds (standardized in ECMA-418-2 1st and 2nd Edition) and the Sottek Hearing Model Fluctuation Strength, an adapted model for slow modulated sounds (planned to be standardized later this year).
Professor Mirjam Snellen and Dr Roberto Merino-Martinez
Research on drone noise: Measurements, prediction models, and human perception
Prof. dr. ir. Mirjam Snellen ( pictured left) is a full professor in acoustic data analysis and imaging for aviation noise in the Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects (ANCE) research group and head of the department Control & Operations at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands). Her research interest include phased microphone arrays, acoustic imaging, signal processing and acoustic modelling.
Dr. Roberto Merino-Martinez ( pictured right) is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) in the Aircraft Noise and Climate Effects (ANCE) research group. He obtained his PhD cum laude in the field of aircraft noise and aeroacoustics in 2018. His research interests include phased microphone arrays, acoustic imaging, psychoacoustics, and noise reduction techniques for aircraft and wind turbine noise.
About the keynote
This keynote will delve into recent advancements in drone technology and its applications at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft University of Technology, including notable projects, such as the maritime hydrogen drone developed by the Micro Aerial Vehicle Lab (MAVLab).While the increasing utilization of drones holds promise for unlocking new opportunities, it also raises significant concerns regarding noise pollution. During this keynote lecture, they will showcase exemplary outcomes from experimental field measurements. These measurements leverage microphone arrays and acoustic imaging to isolate the drone noise emissions from the ambient sounds and reflections.
Moreover, microphone arrays enable the detection and localization of drones. They will also discuss the latest developments in drone noise modelling, driven by the data gathered in these experimental campaigns. Another crucial aspect of drones is evaluating human perception and quantifying the perceived noise annoyance. To this end, they utilize data collected from field experiments, laboratory measurements under controlled conditions, and synthetic sound auralizations to assess the human perception of the noise emissions by various types of drones by conducting psychoacoustic listening experiments in our dedicated research facility. With this valuable information, they can perform perception-driven design of drone propellers aimed at minimizing annoyance, rather than merely reducing sound pressure levels, while ensuring consistent aerodynamic performance. Additionally, they will showcase representative examples of the latest ongoing psychoacoustic research in this domain.
