ZEPHYR is developing a flying test lab

ETH Focus Project ZEPHYR is developing a modular drone platform that brings new aircraft concepts into the air faster and more cost-effectively.

Whenever a new wing concept emerges, classic aviation research usually starts the same cycle all over again: new prototype, new test series, new waiting period. The student-led ETH Focus Project ZEPHYR tackles exactly this problem. The nine-person team is developing a modular drone platform that allows different wing concepts to be swapped out and compared directly under identical conditions, instead of building a completely new test platform for every variant.

As its first case study, the team is using the platform to examine a morphing wing: it changes its profile during flight on its own, serving as a test case for how future aviation systems can be made more efficient.

Since 2025, the team has been based at Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf for this work. Direct access to the airfield and to IPZ's shared prototyping infrastructure shortens the path from concept to flight test.

"The IPZ is our base for hangar access, safe flight testing at Dübendorf airfield, and daily exchange with innovators across disciplines."
— Founder, Project ZEPHYR