18 October 2016
+VIDEO It’s one thing to have a human co-pilot but suppose you were sitting next to a robotic arm, controlling the aircraft like some sort of super auto-pilot? That’s ALIAS, created by Aurora Flight Sciences, the company that brought us the self-flying Diamond DA42.
ALIAS stands for Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System. Aurora says ALIAS will robotically actuate the aircraft controls and read and understand the aircraft instruments.
“A key program element is the ability to rapidly train the system and transition to a new aircraft type in less than one month, which requires acquiring knowledge of not only aircraft flight dynamics but also of aircraft procedures and general airmanship,” said a spokesperson.
Aurora is also developing ALIAS so the pilot can coordinate tasks and collaborate with the robotic arm. The idea is for humans to do what they do best and let the robot do the rest. Aurora thinks this will improve pilot performance, reduce individual workload and, crucially, lower crew costs.
