NASA tests autonomous flight software on helicopters

NASA has announced  the successful testing of its collision avoidance software on two research helicopters developed by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky division.

The achievement marks a crucial step forward in NASA’s ongoing commitment to evaluating and refining autonomous technology for the advancement of air mobility.

The test flights were part of a collaboration by NASA, Sikorsky, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) conducting test flights that yielded valuable data to propel the development of fully autonomous flight systems capable of guiding an aircraft seamlessly from takeoff to touchdown without human intervention.

The project formed an integral part of NASA’s comprehensive initiative to develop and assess technologies, with the ultimate goal of paving the way for the emergence of air taxis and a myriad of innovative automated air transportation alternatives.

Researchers successfully gathered data crucial for the progression of fully autonomous flight systems, enabling aircraft to operate seamlessly from takeoff to touchdown without the need for human pilots.

During the tests, the team employed two experimental helicopters customized for autonomous systems: the SARA (Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft), a modified S-76B, and the larger OPV (Optionally Piloted Vehicle) Black Hawk.

Researchers integrated five NASA-designed software systems into the helicopters, seamlessly interacting with the automated flight system already incorporated by Sikorsky and DARPA, as reported by the agency.

During the flight tests, each helicopter had a safety pilot overseeing operations. Sikorsky’s flight autonomy system ran concurrently with NASA software on agency-designed tablets, enabling the helicopters to autonomously navigate multiple predefined routes.

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“These flight tests using Sikorsky’s SARA and OPV helicopters show how we can stack technologies together to increase automation over time in a maintainable and scalable way,” says Adam Yingling, NASA project lead.

“These efforts demonstrate that we can safely integrate operations to fly the aircraft using several technologies in one navigation tablet.”  

The fusion of Sikorsky’s flight autonomy system and NASA software, operating on agency-designed tablets, empowered the helicopters to autonomously traverse multiple pre-determined routes.

The tablets facilitated safety pilots in monitoring software-selected flight paths and overseeing helicopters’ responses to commands. NASA researchers assessed the collaborative performance of various software systems in controlling each aircraft.

The tests evaluated human pilots’ interaction with autonomous systems. NASA research pilots, equipped with special glasses, were monitored for their duration of interaction with navigation tablets and physiological responses to the information provided. The user experience data collected will inform future designs for software and tablets.

The team completed 12 successful flights, incorporating 70 diverse test maneuvers, accumulating over 30 flight hours per aircraft. The collaboration between NASA, Sikorsky, and DARPA laid the groundwork for advancing automation technology testing.