A Belgian start-up is looking to enable designers of all levels to access complex CFD simulation information for their designs with the launch of a virtual wind tunnel operated by an expert on a pay per simulation set-up.
AirShaper allows users to analyse and improve the aerodynamics of a 3D model in three steps: users send the 3D model to the website; AirShaper carries out the analysis and the viewer is sent the full report.
The report will list information about the air resistance of the design, 3D illustrations of the air flow, indications of problem zones and supporting explanations.
With price levels beginning from €199 for a single analysis, packages for multiple simulations are also available.
The founder, Wouter Remmerie, is a mechanical engineer and founded AirShaper after six years of design and consultancy work in aerodynamics.
“About 10 years ago, as a hobby, I designed a sports car based on an aerodynamic concept to go faster through corners,” explains Remmerie.
“I did not have any money for physical wind tunnel testing or expensive simulation software. Still, I got hooked on aerodynamics and went to work for an expert agency in that sector.
“For years I learned about all kinds of simulation techniques and I saw the thresholds for designers. That is why I founded AirShaper: to make this fascinating domain accessible to designers.”
The AirShaper team currently has five employees and is part of Belgian technology accelerator Startit@KBC and the incubator arm of R&D and innovation hub Imec.
