The MOVE Kickoff Meeting was held on October 2-3, 2018.
A new research center focused on vertical flight has been launched at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Under the leadership of Farhan Gandhi, the Rosalind and John J. Redfern Jr. ’33 Professor of Engineering, MOVE—The Center for Mobility with Vertical Lift—will pursue cutting-edge research in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft technologies.
Rensselaer kicked off the new center with a two-day symposium on October 2-3, 2018. The event included a formal ribbon-cutting, a series of lectures and a panel discussion by representatives of industry, government, and academia, and a tour of MOVE.
Symposium speakers included Mark Moore, director of engineering for Uber Elevate, which has launched a project to develop a network of eVTOL aircraft to provide transportation for commuters in big cities. He presented the Lila and Robert G. Loewy Lecture: “The Dawn of eVTOL.”
Jeff Singleton, director of technology for the U.S. Army, delivered the Paul E. Hemke Lecture: “New Forces Shaping Research and Development in the U.S. Army,” and Mike Hirschberg, executive director of the Vertical Flight Society, spoke about “The Electric VTOL Revolution.” Steve Weiner, from the Rensselaer Class of 1978, chief engineer of the JMR-Defiant at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, presented “Design Considerations for Vertical Lift Mobility, or Things to Think About Before You Grow Your Drone.”
Panelists from such companies as Bell, Terrafugia, Aurora Flight Sciences, and Boeing, as well as the Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland, discussed the current status and technical challenges of electric VTOL.
Move Kickoff Video Gallery
Move Kickoff Photo Gallery
