Blockbuster science: Storm-chasing drone appears in ‘Twisters’ | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder

Engineers from CU Boulder get ready to deploy a RAAVEN drone during a storm. (Credit: IRISS)

Blockbuster science: Storm-chasing drone appears in ‘Twisters’ | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder

This story is adapted from a version published by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Read the full story.

This week, a storm-chasing drone operated by researchers at CU Boulder will get the blockbuster treatment when a version inspired by it appears in the summer popcorn flick “Twisters.”

The RAAVEN drone was developed by researchers at CU Boulder’s Integrated Remote and In-Situ Sensing (IRISS) program. It’s part of the Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS) project, a research effort that uses small drones and remote-sensing instruments to collect data on tornado formation in supercell thunderstorms. TORUS is led by principal investigator Adam Houston of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Brian Argrow and Eric Frew, professors in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU Boulder, are among the co-principal investigators for the project.