Air mobility models make skies friendlier, safer

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As drones and automation become more prevalent, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to look at ways to make the airways safer for small, unmanned aircraft.  

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Phil Smith

With ISE Professor Phil Smith serving as the principal investigator, the FAA Center for Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems has launched a three-year research project, “Identify Models for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)/Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Safe Automation.” In addition to Ohio State, the research team includes scholars from Drexel University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Kansas State University and the University of North Dakota. 

“Urban air mobility operations are expected to involve significant amounts of machine automation in order for operations to be profitable,” Dr. Smith says, “with rotorcraft piloted remotely – that is, without a pilot onboard the aircraft. The focus of this research is on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) used for passenger transport and cargo delivery in urban areas. This research will evaluate core technology, system architecture, automation design and system functional concepts to aid the FAA and industry standards development organizations in creating paths forward for these new operational capabilities.” 

The team will look at UAM automation functions; key technologies to automate those functions; gaps in availability of current technology products to perform needed automation functions; duties of automated functions versus human duties; current and future capabilities; and applicable regulations, policies and standards. 

“As with parallel efforts looking at the design and use of small UAS – 55 pounds and lighter,” Dr. Smith says, “the use of remotely piloted aircraft requires significant advances in the design of supporting automation that has been developed to support effective human-automation interaction, as well as new concepts for airspace design.” 

 

Story by Nancy Richison

Category: Faculty