These systems will also need to be developed and tested to ensure functional safety. The perceived information will then need to be communicated to the aircraft’s embedded software and AI systems so they can plan out a safe flight. They will then need to combine the information from these devices, using sensor fusion methodologies, to get an accurate picture of the environment for every flight and weather condition. Therefore, engineers will need to develop radar, lidar, cameras, sound and infrared sensors to perceive the environment. Much like the human eye, cameras would be useless in certain conditions, like fog and glare. You can’t just stick a camera on an aircraft and expect it to be able to see everything in an urban environment. Sensors will need a lot of development to make autonomous aircraft a reality. Designing such a system requires a lot of engineering development that includes simulation, software- and hardware-in-the-loop testing. These systems will also need to be smart enough to decipher the difference between buildings, birds and other aircraft in any environment or weather condition. This level of autonomy requires sensors, embedded software and artificial intelligence (AI) systems that continuously perceive risky situations, plan a safe path of motion and execute those motions. Altering course to manage unpredictable situations (like wind gusts, engine failures and obstacles).Seeking out obstacles (like vehicles, buildings and birds).Taking off and landing without a runway.To operate in an urban setting, autonomous aircraft will need to safely perform three very important functions, beyond flying a predefined route: However, designing these autonomous aircraft to operate in such a busy environment poses engineering problems that are much more complex than the ones solved by the invention of modern autopilot systems. In megacities these autonomous flying taxis - so to speak - can revolutionize personal travel and shipping by reducing traffic and increasing safety. One of the main applications of autonomous aircraft is for urban air mobility. In the future, aircraft will not be partially automated, they will be fully autonomous - eliminating the need for a pilot.
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