Autonomy Research for Civil Aviation Toward a New Era of Flight (2014) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
4 Research Agenda
4 Research Agenda
Pages 44-61
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From page 44... ...
systems, crewed aircraft, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
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From page 45... ...
However, as the shown in the table, all eight projects address multiple barriers, and the collective research agenda addresses all barriers to some extent. Also, outputs from all of the research projects are ultimately required to allow introducing advanced IA systems into the National Airspace System (NAS)
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From page 46... ...
The second describes research in system architectures and technologies that would enable increasingly sophisticated IA systems and unmanned aircraft to operate for extended periods of time without real-time human cognizance and control. The third calls for the development of the theoretical basis and methodologies for using modeling and simulation to accelerate the development and maturation of advanced IA systems and aircraft.
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From page 47... ...
Research into the behavior of adaptive/nondeterministic systems that takes into account the needs of both the design and test communities can have a meaningful effect on advanced IA systems operating in civil airspace. Operation Without Continuous Human Oversight Develop the System Architectures and Technologies That Would Enable Increasingly Sophisticated IA Systems and Unmanned Aircraft to Operate for Extended Periods of Time Without Real-Time Human Cognizance and Control Crewed aircraft have systems with varying levels of automation that operate without continuous human oversight.
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From page 48... ...
• Facilitate new unmanned aircraft operations where continuous human cognizance and control would not be cost-effective. For example, unmanned aircraft supporting large-scale agriculture operations would require long-range flights that go beyond the line of sight of the operator and that collect data overnight (when other farming operations are shut down)
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From page 49... ...
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) , which has historically presumed continuous human cognizance and control, would need to expand its expertise and engage the community in this research task to efficiently establish standards and policies to authorize the operation of unmanned aircraft without continuous human oversight.
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From page 50... ...
• Develop theories and methodologies for using modeling and simulation to coach adaptive IA systems and human operators during training exercises. Many IA systems will have adaptive or learning algorithms as components of the system.
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From page 51... ...
Just as computational fluid dynamic models are validated with wind tunnel tests, and wind tunnels are validated with flight tests, a means to validate the modeling and simulation capabilities for IA systems will be needed. Verification, Validation, and Certification Develop Standards and Processes for the Verification, Validation, and Certification of IA Systems and Determine Their Implications for Design The high levels of safety achieved in the operation of the NAS largely reflect the formal requirements imposed by the FAA for VV&C of hardware and software and the certification of personnel as a condition for entry into the system.
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From page 52... ...
This complexity and diversity will require the system to be completely reconfigurable to ensure safe and successful mission execution, creating challenges for the VV&C process. Elements of this research include the following: -- Integration of modeled and actual subsystems, such as sensors, reasoning algorithms, hardware compo nents, and human operators.
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From page 53... ...
The same cannot be said of aircraft avionics. Civil aviation in general and IA systems in particular can benefit directly and indirectly from a broad variety of technologies developed through other nontraditional methods in areas that include low-cost, high-capability computing systems; digital communications; miniaturized sensor technology; position, navigation, and timing systems; open-source hardware and software; mobile communications and computing devices; and small unmanned aircraft developed for personal or hobbyist use.
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From page 54... ...
New modular architectures and protocols are needed to accommodate this pace. Non-safety-critical system elements and applications that inherently involve little risk, such as the operation of small unmanned aircraft over fields on large farms, are natural candidates for focusing initial efforts.
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From page 55... ...
The human–system integration problem becomes even more complex with the hierarchical control imposed by flight in managed airspace. This system-of-systems problem, involving onboard pilots, remote UAS operators, intelligent machines, air traffic controllers, and an intelligent ATM network, is perhaps the most daunting human–system integration challenge that civil aviation will face, and overcoming it will require research in relevant technical disciplines and social sciences.
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From page 56... ...
Roles of key personnel would need to be identified and aligned with the degree of autonomy and then adjusted over time as the technology and IA capabilities evolve. For example, the roles of ground-based UAS operators and air traffic controllers may change dramatically if an advanced IA ATM network can issue commands directly to onboard autonomous mission management systems.
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From page 57... ...
Where IA systems make it possible for small unmanned aircraft to replace crewed aircraft, the risks to persons and property on the ground in the event of an accident could be greatly reduced owing to the reduced damage footprint in those instances, and the risk to air crew is eliminated entirely. Specific tasks to be carried out by this research project include the following: • Analyze accident and incident records to determine where IA systems may have prevented or mitigated the severity of specific accidents or classes of accidents.
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From page 58... ...
Stakeholder Trust Develop Processes to Engender Broad Stakeholder Trust in IA Systems in the Civil Aviation System IA systems can fundamentally change the relationship between people and technology. Although increasingly used as an engineering term in the context of software and security assurance, trust is a social term and becomes increasingly relevant to human–machine interactions when technological complexity exceeds human capacity to fully understand its behavior.
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From page 59... ...
This would identify situations when people might neglect the system just when it actually requires human cognizance and control. Stakeholder trust is relevant for a broad range of stakeholders and situations, but its measurement and aggregation present a substantial challenge.
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From page 60... ...
The NextGen Program is executing a multiagency research and development plan to improve the NAS. The Senior Policy Committee views the integration of UAS into the NAS as a national priority and, to that end, in 2012 it published the NextGen Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research, Development and Demonstration Roadmap Version 1.0.
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From page 61... ...
Advanced IA systems will, among other things, be able to operate without direct human supervision or control for extended periods of time and over long distances. As happens with any other rapidly evolving technology, early adapters sometimes get caught up in the excitement of the moment, producing a form of intellectual hyperinflation that greatly exaggerates the promise of things to come and greatly underestimates costs in terms of money, time, and -- in many cases -- unintended consequences or complications.
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