The TAO Group

The TAO-Group®

The TAO Group consists of the independent companies TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH, TAO Technologies GmbH in Stuttgart and Berlin, TAO Neue Antriebstechnologien GmbH, TAO UK and cooperating partner companies. We design, develop and build aerospace structures, especially lightweight structures for airships and high altitude platforms (HAP) for the stratosphere. This includes novel propulsion concepts and energy storage systems for flying high altitude platforms at altitudes of up to 20 km, but also regenerative CleanTech concepts for energy management in the cities of the future. From lightweight structures it is not far to our flying buildings and the designs for flying roofs. In cooperation with renowned architects, creative and novel temporary buildings are created.

Our core competencies are

Altitude Platforms (HAP'S)

as articulated airships with novel, regenerative propulsion systems

Electric vehicles

on the basis of extremely lightweight construction and drives developed from the high altitude platforms

Trendsetting

architectural concepts such as unusual stadiums, halls and inflatable halls/hangars

Innovative

architectural concepts with newly developed solar energy storage systems

The desire for data transmission from the stratosphere has been popular worldwide at the latest since the Google “Loon” project. Great! Because when we came up with the idea of an “elevated platform for telecommunications from the stratosphere” well over 19 years ago and our company founder Prof. Dr. Bernd Helmut Kröplin received the highly endowed European science prize “Körber Prize” for it in 1999, we were simply considered “telecommunications airship exotics”.

Nevertheless, for decades we have carried out the telecommunications project with strong ideational and great know-how input until today, from the university to the spin-off company TAO. An interdisciplinary team of, among others, physicists, aerospace engineers, chemists, electrical and communications engineers, mechanics, cost planners and philosophers with a cosmopolitan management makes this possible. We are the TAO-Nauts!

Probeflug des SkyDragons
Die Höhenplattform "SkyDragon" der TAO-Group beim Probeflug über den Wolken
Top 100 von 2016
Innovation durch Forschung 2020 / 2021
EU Förderung für TAO
Logo ZIM

In contrast to the Google-Loon project, which uses uncontrolled altitude balloons, we have gained enormous advantages from our TAO SkyDragon technology:

  • launchable and landable by own telemetry
  • controllable with drives
  • flies over a defined point
  • large communication radius
  • reusable and recyclable

The special TAO SkyDragon concept enables controlled flying at high altitudes and in the stratosphere as well as safe landing. Interested parties from all over the world are now recognizing the added value of our friendly and peaceful technology. You can find more information about tor concept under SkyDragon.