Research flights over Munich: Helicopters explore the city and forest!

Research flights over Munich: Helicopters explore the city and forest!

An exciting week is ahead, as research flights by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will take place in Munich and the surrounding area from today until November 14, 2025. The flights will operate between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. daily and offer the opportunity to test new technologies for capturing automated driving activities and urban light emissions from the air.

The location extends across downtown Munich, the Kranzberger Forest and the railway line between Holzkirchen and Rosenheim. The helicopter from HTM is used for these research flights, equipped with the state-of-the-art VABENE 4k camera system. Short-term hover flights are carried out over Munich to collect data that is important for the development of autonomous driving technologies.

Research activities in detail

Now, what exactly is being investigated here? In the evening, the focus is on analyzing urban light emissions. The differences and influences of different light sources are examined in more detail. At the same time, images are taken in the Kranzberger Forest that can be used for forest analyzes and 3D modeling of individual trees. In addition, the railway line between Holzkirchen and Rosenheim serves as a test area for new 3D image evaluation methods.

The legal and regulatory framework for automated driving in Germany is slowly taking shape. Since May 2021, autonomous vehicles without a physical driver have been allowed to operate on public roads if they move within defined and approved operating areas. This regulation offers an exciting perspective for future developments in the area of ​​automated and autonomous driving. However, there are currently no binding regulations that specify the existing law, such as design regulations for vehicles. However, the first approvals for highly automated series vehicles already exist for certain sections of the highway.

The challenges

Robot taxis continue to be an issue for the future, as the high costs of electronics and software as well as existing safety risks continue to pose challenges. In addition, the economic value of investments in the development of autonomous vehicles in the private sector remains a question mark. Such aspects need to be kept in mind in ongoing research in order to create the technological basis for the safe and efficient use of autonomous means of transport.

How these research flights will help develop new technologies that make driving safer and less emissions-intensive remains to be seen. In any case, the week promises a lot of interesting insights that may soon become visible on our streets.