MEMKO has announced the launch of its first product to the market; NIFTI, a Non-Intrusive Flight Test Instrumentation system.
Initially developed in Australia by flight test crew, in close collaboration with the RAAF Air Warfare Centre (AWC) and the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), NIFTI is a small, aircraft independent, wireless sensing system that collects environmental, acceleration and structural response test data using sensor nodes adhesively mounted to an aircraft’s interior or exterior structure.
Contrary to traditional flight test instrumentation which requires unique and extensive fitouts to an airframe and aircraft systems, NIFTI offers a "flexible and cost-effective solution" with no interfaces to aircraft systems.
NIFTI node operations can be set by setting a countdown timer, scheduling a capture start and stop time, or through wireless control, with multiple nodes capturing time -synchronised data, all within a Windows App.
NIFTI is a culmination of MEMKO’s mission to support next-generation innovation within Australia’s aerospace and defence industry. Leveraging its in-house engineering capabilities, digital tools and industry know-how, NIFTI was developed using digital threads and Model Based Systems Engineering methodology from requirements capture through to concept development, including virtual manufacturability, additive manufacturing and physical prototyping.
Sam Mancarella - MEMKO Director of Systems Engineering, and NIFTI’s lead developer – said he was very pleased to build a product that provides flight-testing capability for in-service aircraft.
“The ability to rapidly deploy any number of NIFTI Sensor Nodes, as-needed to any aircraft, means that flight-tests can offer valuable flight test insight on specific aircraft in an affordable, easy to use way,” Sam Mancarella said.