The Embry-Riddle EcoCAR team just got back from the 28th Annual Digital Avionics Systems Conference, and it was a blast. The team made valuable connections and educated industry leaders about the EcoCAR Challenge and the EcoEagles’ role in the competition.
Many of you might ask, “What do avionics and aerospace technologies have to do with cars?” At Embry-Riddle, students apply techniques developed for aerospace engineering in all of their projects. For instance, the carbon fiber composites that are used to minimize weight and fuel consumption in a Boeing 787 can be used for the same purpose in the body paneling of the team’s EcoCAR.
The DASC conference gave the EcoEagles an opportunity to show their control system to engineers with a lifetime of experience working on aircraft controls. It also provided an opportunity to discuss the merits of digital vs. analog controls and other issues like instrumentation, capacitors and batteries.
