Toward Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Technology 137
coondoggie writes with a NetworkWorld piece that begins, "Researchers at Purdue will soon experiment with an unmanned aircraft that pretty much flies itself with little human intervention. The aircraft will use a combination of global-positioning system technology and a guidance system called AttoPilot ... to guide the aerial vehicle to predetermined points. Researchers can be stationed off-site to monitor the aircraft and control its movements remotely. AttoPilot was installed in the aircraft early this year, and testing will begin in the spring, researchers said."
Niche operation perhaps... (Score:4, Informative)
Migration to UAVs is an obligate journey. My last visit to Creech AFB [utah.edu] showed just how inevitable this is, yet I wonder if the move towards autonomous vehicles will really expand beyond a limited niche. Autonomous vehicles have a definite role, but one that is limited to very specialized circumstances akin to interplanetary probes. Platforms that gather data on say climate change or sea conditions are appropriate. However, in the absence of a complete revolution in the way data is gathered through sensors, large event surveillance, crowd and traffic control and hostage situations or crimes (or military applications) will almost always have to have at least a semi-autonomous component to them. I will say that efforts are already underway in certain combat situations to provide for single pilot control over multiple UAV platforms through semi-automated solutions, but those solutions still have an operator actively monitoring the platform.
Hasn't this been done before? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Ring Ring! (Score:5, Informative)
What you're referring to is Category III autolanding, which in CAT III C has no decision height but instead the aircraft can land completely on its own (30 m in CAT III A and 15 m in B, IIRC). More landings are done that way than not - and all landings if the weather is bad since autopilots do a much better job than humans. Now it is obviously necessary that the airport is equipped with that capability so saying that it is for emergency use is a bit of a stretch since in an emergency you might have to land wherever you can (such as on a river...) - or maybe improvise to get it to the runway despite some techincal malfunction (who needs hydraulics when you can vary thrust?). However, Airbus have begun investigating the possibilities to create a "hijack button", which pilots could press in case of a hijacking and then the aircraft would automagically set its transpoder appropriately, notify ATC and land at the nearest CAT III C runway regardless of what is done with the flight controls since then ("sorry Mr. Terrorist, it's out of our hands now"). AFAIK no aircraft currently in service could, however, be equipped with that without some substantial changes (well, perhaps the A380 could, since it's not only FBW but also power-by-wire).
Re:Let me sum this up for all of you. (Score:2, Informative)
It will never land by itself. Yeah, I said 'never'.
Why not? The Global Hawk already does.
Re:Niche operation perhaps... (Score:2, Informative)
I don't think the Air Force wants autonomous UAVs. They are just now starting a UAV pilot program, which has publicly announced last fall.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/airforce_uav_volunteers_100708w/
Do you really think they are going to scrap their new UAV pilot program in its infancy to be replaced by robots? I don't think so.
This really will only have commercial applications, for non-living cargo. People are already scared enough of flying, let alone with Skynet in the cockpit.
Global Hawk just uses a keyboard (Score:2, Informative)
As was mentioned above (I tried to reply to that one but web page errors wouldn't allow) the RQ-4 does this and more.
Unlike the well known Predator UAV, the Global Hawk control panel has no joystick or similar control. It's got a keyboard and mouse.
If you want it to turn left, you type/click commands to alter it's course etc.
What I think is particularly interesting is that it has a set of commands to follow if it loses communications with the humans. So if on the trip to Australia comms had been lost partway, it could have automatically diverted itself to another field etc.
The biggest issue here that remains is not technical really, it's about airspace, and the FAA trying to figure out a way that a computer can fly an aircraft in the same airspace as manned aircraft. Manned aircraft after all follow FAA controller's directions, and a computer that loses comm will not be able to. FAA approvals for current RQ-4 operations have been very limited AFAIK. There are solutions (manned aircraft lose radios too), but I'm sure no one wants to be on the commercial airliner that's part of the airspace deconfliction beta test :), so they are taking their time to make sure it's done right/safely.
Re:Ring Ring! (Score:1, Informative)
Planes are also frequently diverted due to a cranky passenger. Any means of calling the landing off would make such a system useless since the hijackers would kill passengers until it was implemented.
Re:Humans like Human Pilots (Score:2, Informative)
I'm quite sure that a real autopilot would have enough emergency landing routines to pull it off quite good too.
Re:Niche operation perhaps... (Score:3, Informative)
While it certainly isn't the easiest thing in the world to do, with processing speed and efficiency increasing, as well as things like modern GPS and other sensors, UAVs really are easy enough for your average electronics/computer geek to build, given around $1000 and some free time.
Re:Ring Ring! (Score:1, Informative)
Spot on. If you think about the size of the support crew for an aircraft, you'll find that it's much more than just the pilot and a mechanic. You have a very strict check regimen, etc etc, all things that are much more critical but harder to do than with a car. People already skimp on oil changes, burned out lightbulbs, etc -- they won't understand why a bent pitot tube is a big deal.
Re:Ring Ring! (Score:1, Informative)
You think a human pilot can land a plane without power?
All modern aircraft have RATs - i.e. ram air turbines, which deploy automatically in case of a power loss and generate power from the airstream (in the brief period of time the deployment takes, batteries are used).