ENSTA Paris students take part in the Zephir Project

New grant awarded by ENSTA Alumni as part of Faites-nous rêver! ENSTA Alumni supports the participation of several of the school's students in the Zephir Project. Presentation.

Spearheaded by Antoine Albeau and Marc Amerigo, the Zephir Project aims toimagine the windsurfer of the future, and break the world record for absolute sailing speed of 65.45 knots (121 km/h). Antoine is the most successful Frenchman in the history of French sport, with 25 windsurfing world championship titles to his name, and currently holds the world windsurfing speed record at 53.27 knots (98.65 km/h). His windsurf is the perfect exploratory laboratory, a true demonstrator of ultra-high performance with a low carbon footprint.

As part of their second-year research project, 6 students from ENSTA Paris have joined forces with the Zephir Project. Their main role is to develop aerodynamic appendages for Antoine Albeau to improve his stability and comfort when sailing, while optimizing his aerodynamic penetration.

Future innovations will naturally be transposable to anything that glides in water or air, or draws energy from it (wind energy, marine energy, eco-responsible marine mobility...). They offer a wide range of applications with the utmost respect for our planet.

With financial support from ENSTA Paris alumni, the students want to develop new appendages, try them out in the wind tunnel and then have them tested by Antoine Albeau in real-life conditions. This project is also made possible by the school's supervisors and access to the UME (Unité de Mécanique) wind tunnels.