Our aim is to develop a diverse community of researchers and users through access to a range of equipment and expertise.
To support challenge-led research of drone researchers and users at Royal Holloway, we seized the opportunity to create the Omnidrome Research and Innovation Centre in 2022 from a major infrastructure investment of over two million pounds in air, land, and water-based drones with a wide range of sensors, a dedicated testing and training facility and a support vehicle.
Testing and Training Facility
The development of our Omnidrome testing and training facility was completed in August 2023.
The facility is now operational and will be made be available for university users, research partners and commercial users.
The building comprises a purpose-built hangar measuring 25 meters wide by 35 meters long and 10 meters high. The facility is allowing operators and researchers to develop and test specialist and experimental drones in a controlled, safe space, without disruption to the local environment or residents. Next planned developments include a camera tracking system for flight analytics and indoor GPS signal repeaters..
Additional dedicated outdoor areas for flight training are currently being evaluated. These spaces would offer flight training with a focus on survey planning and sensor applications as well as general visual line of sight flight training in large open spaces (VLOS).
Technical Equipment
Omnidrome has a versatile inventory of aerial drones, tracked and wheeled robots, floating and submersible robots, plus a wide range of sensors, robotic elements, and supporting equipment. This includes a Pixkit autonomous vehicle development platform, unique in the UK.
Support Vehicle
Omnidrome will also have its own, customised support vehicle to transport drone and robotic equipment, acting as a self-contained command and operations centre.
