Beckett Zhou will lead Georgia Tech's role in a NASA University Leadership Initiative developing advanced tools to help predict and reduce noise from urban air mobility vehicles in city environments.
As electric air taxis move closer to reality, researchers are working to address one of the industry’s biggest challenges: noise.
Beckett Zhou, an assistant professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and the director of the Computational Laboratory for Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics Research (CLAAR), is leading Georgia Tech’s contribution to a NASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI) project focused on developing new tools to better predict how noise from urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles travels through city environments.
The four-year effort, titled Noise-Optimal Trajectory Planning for UAM Operations Including Ambient Noise, is led by Stanford University and brings together researchers from Georgia Tech; the University of California, Berkeley; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Blue Ridge Research & Consulting, and industry partner Joby Aviation.
Georgia Tech’s approximately $1.45 million share of the project will support researchers serving as the team’s aeroacoustics experts, developing advanced computational tools to model how noise generated by UAM aircraft propagates from the vehicle to the surrounding environment.
The project aims to create a simulation framework that will help researchers evaluate how UAM aircraft noise is generated, how it travels through urban environments, and how flight trajectories into and out of realistic vertiports in such complex environments can be optimized to reduce impacts on surrounding communities.
A key component of the work involves modeling how sound waves interact with an aircraft's fuselage and other structures. Traditional acoustic methods often assume that noise travels through open space without obstruction. UAM vehicles, however, typically feature multiple closely integrated rotors positioned near the airframe, creating complex acoustic interactions that can significantly affect how sound is perceived on the ground.
Zhou's research group has developed advanced computational tools that model acoustic scattering and shielding effects, helping researchers better understand how an aircraft can redirect, block, scatter, or amplify noise as it travels through the air. These capabilities address a critical need previously identified by NASA and the broader UAM research community.
"UAM vehicles present a unique acoustic challenge because the aircraft itself can scatter and redirect the noise produced by its rotors," Zhou said. "In our recent studies, we’ve found that failing to account for those interactions can lead to noise prediction errors of more than 10 decibels."
The project brings together experts in aerodynamics, acoustics, controls, optimization, and urban noise modeling to address a challenge that spans multiple disciplines.
According to Zhou, working alongside experts across disciplines is one of the most exciting aspects of the project.
"This topic is naturally a multidisciplinary challenge," he said. "We get to work with experts who are leaders in their respective fields while addressing a problem that has real potential to shape the future of transportation."
Beyond advancing research, the initiative includes a significant workforce development component. Georgia Tech's funding will support graduate students and potentially postdoctoral researchers while helping expand Zhou's research group and train the future workforce of the UAM industry.
“I see this project as a key enabler to reduce barriers to certification and bring us closer to UAM operations,” Zhou said. “The ability to accurately predict and manage noise can help inform future regulations and allows operators to make noise-aware decisions to minimize impacts on communities.”
Zhou views this project as a critical step toward making urban air mobility operations both practical and publicly acceptable.