Next generation aircraft autonomy technologies for cockpit / pilot assistance applications

Expected Outcome

Project results should contribute to the European civil aircraft cockpit technology roadmaps on crew assistance/automation/autonomy, with focus to next generation aircraft autonomy technologies for cockpit / pilot assistance applications.

Project results are expected to contribute to at least two of the following expected outcomes:

• Increasing safety in cockpits, by providing to the crew’s assistance new systems or functionalities. with new capabilities for new aircraft platforms, new Human Machine Interface concepts and technologies.;
• Contribution to the roadmap of cockpits digitalisation and autonomy, by conceiving new cockpit capabilities, allowing an enhanced Human-System Relation (new ways for the crews to interact or collaborate with the cockpit). Technological breakthrough could bring to future cockpits the development potential necessary to take up the challenges of the next decades;
• Increased efficiency of cockpits performances: reduction of size, weight and power consumption (SWaP) of systems and equipment, reduced total lifecycle costs, integration levels by reduced production times and, first-time-right delivery.

Scope

Next generation aircrafts will be even more digital and automated, with more interactive and automated cockpits. This will be even more reliant on automation evolution and it is expected to mitigate an always-increased complexity of aircraft systems and operations, ensuring safe and efficient operations. However, automation is also prone to significant errors when misused or misunderstood, especially if this is combined with new aircraft platforms (incl. new systems/capabilities) or new types of operations.

The projects should develop new technology bricks in line with the aircraft concepts proposed in the updated Horizon Europe Clean Aviation Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda[1] and possibly exploit lessons learned from the H2020-CS2 Large Aircraft Disruptive Cockpit Demonstrator[2]. Synergies may also be sought with Horizon Europe SESAR Single Person Operations projects.

The technology bricks should be aligned with the needs of future aircraft generations and operations, new requirements, and cockpit philosophy of European aircraft integrators for the next generations of aircrafts, while they should be cyber-resilient and controlled by a single pilot and without the assistance of an on-board human co-pilot. Development of simulation tools, use of artificial intelligence models, human factors, and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of various technical solutions is within the scope of the topic. Interfacing with the European Union Aviation Safety agency (EASA) on safety and new testing and certification processes as well as alignment with the EASA AI roadmap should be considered, if applicable.

The focus is on development of new technologies up to TRL 4, rather than on integration and demonstration.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 2-4 by the end of the project - see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

[1] https://clean-aviation.eu/sites/default/files/2024-09/2024-Clean-Aviation-SRIA.pdf

[2] https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/807097/results