ArtiAP will develop technology – based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) – to provide a replacement of the support traditionally provided by the second pilot and to also provide support to the current two-person crew in large transport aircraft. The ArtiAP technology will monitor complex operations in flight – such as a late runway change or an unstable approach – and aid the pilots in their situational awareness and decision-making by providing visual and/or aural alerts and recommendations. In addition, the crew will be able to interact with the AI/ML using voice commands and touchscreen gestures. The key advantages of the proposed technology are that it: keeps the flight crew in the decision loop; is compatible with (and augments) existing cockpit automation (autopilot, etc.); and acts as an additional (artificial) pilot in the cockpit.

ArtiAP will build on the technology developed in previous and ongoing projects by the project partners, such as TOUCH-FLIGHT2/ePM and SMARTAP. The project is also closely aligned with EU’s vision for the adoption of AI in the aviation domain, as expressed in documents such as EASA’s ‘AI Roadmap: A human-centric approach to AI in aviation’ and ACARE’s ‘Fly the Green Deal: Europe’s Vision for Sustainable Aviation’.

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Project WAGE is a continuation of project SmartFDM R&I-2015-016-T. This project aims to continue from the results obtained from project SmartFDM and aims to add context to the anomaly discovery. This will be done by providing weather, geographical and technical context to FDM anomaly detection.

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Automation onboard transport aircraft has evolved to the point where the pilot’s role is becoming increasingly supervisory and managerial in nature. However, its complexity has led to the risk of pilots becoming less aware of how the automation is behaving. In addition, automation may become disengaged in abnormal and emergency situations and this may result in an undesirable significant increase in crew workload.

SmartAP proposes a novel concept of automation, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) trained to fly the aircraft is introduced to be able to monitor and control the automation systems whilst also communicating with the human pilots, keeping them in the loop and in the decision path. In this way, an additional human-machine interface path is introduced in parallel with the current pilot-aircraft human-machine interface (HMI).

SmartAP is developing a novel core architecture hosting the SmartAP functions that are intended to facilitate the certifiable use of AI for critical functions in the cockpit. It is also developing functionality for piloting aids in two important areas of crew support, namely in mitigating the risk and consequences of loss of control, and in workload reduction during departure/arrival. In this way, SmartAP aims to contribute towards increased safety of air transport.

A patent application will shortly be filed with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office.

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During taxi operations of current-generation commercial aircraft, pilots control the aircraft using the tiller, thrust levers and brake pedals. This method of taxiing can result in a high workload, particularly at complex airports. ACSAGO proposes an alternative taxiing technology that uses active sidesticks. This technology can bring several benefits to ground operations. For instance, an active sidestick can be configured to control aircraft heading and speed, thus rendering the tiller redundant and enabling taxi manoeuvers to be completed just by using the sidestick. Furthermore, it provides visual and tactile feedback to the crew. The left and right sidesticks can also be electronically linked such that they track each other; thus, both pilots can feel and see their sidesticks moving.

ACSAGO focuses on the application of active sidesticks to conventional taxiing i.e. through the use of the aircraft’s engines. However, active sidesticks are configurable and can also be applied to (future) electric taxiing operations, whereby pilots would use an active sidestick to control electric motors installed in the aircraft’s landing gear. It is expected that the proposed active sidestick technology will improve situational awareness, performance and safety during taxiing. This technology is being jointly developed by QuAero Ltd., and the Institute of Aerospace Technologies (as lead partner).

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Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) forms an integral part of flight operations safety systems. Typically, aircraft data is recorded during flight, which is then used off-line to analyse the performance of the aircraft. Traditional use of FDM employs a safe threshold or gate method for parameter exceedance detection. This then leads to further analysis and investigation. However, while FDM generates large amounts of data and provides a wealth of information that can be used to improve airline operations, safety and efficiency, the current statistical approach is inadequate. Hence, this project adopts big data techniques to computationally analyse for insights and reveal patterns and trends within flight data.

This project was led by the Institute of Aerospace Technologies in collaboration with the Faculty of Information & Communication Technology within the University of Malta, and QuAero Ltd. as industrial partner. The project started later than anticipated and thus spilled over into 2020 with a final extension having been granted allowing the project to come to a successful conclusion in December 2020. A Fund grant has been awarded by the MCST to allow this research to be continued further. The continuation of SmartFDM will continue under Project WAGE.

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TOUCH-FLIGHT 2 was carried out as a collaboration between QuAero Ltd. and the Institute of Aerospace Technologies at the University of Malta.

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TOUCH-FLIGHT developed novel concepts of human-machine interface and interaction (HMI2) for flight guidance and navigation. This is a new and emerging technology area in the industry, in which there is significant interest by the avionics suppliers and airframers. The work involved the use of a tablet-like device to allow the pilot to interact with the aircraft systems directly without needing to reach out to the main instrument panel, glare shield, overhead panel and central pedestal areas.

The research focused on the use of appropriate graphical display layouts coupled with touchscreen gestures to carry out input functions by the pilot on the flight deck. The work was a collaboration between QuAero Ltd. and the University of Malta (acting as lead partner), with the cooperation of Thales Avionics as External Industrial Advisor. The project culminated in the development of a prototype that allows demonstration to industry, and the successful grant of four patents in the US. A patent, for this technology, is also being sought in other countries.

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CLEAN-FLIGHT 2 further developed the technology by creating a detailed concept of operations (Con-Ops). This Con-Ops allows highly efficient climb and descent trajectories to be performed. The Con-Ops describes, in detail, how the users interact with each other using a framework of protocols and procedures to allow these trajectories to be flown safely. These new trajectories allow a reduction in flight time, fuel burn, or a combination of both. By making use of these optimal routes, the total running cost of airlines can be reduced. In addition, environmental benefits are to be gained, namely a reduction in carbon emissions as well as noise footprint.

The main objectives of the CLEAN-FLIGHT 2 project were to take the Con-Ops to a higher maturity level and to develop a software tool that would allow end-users (ATC and pilots) to perform single or multiple aircraft optimisation on any selected flights within Maltese airspace. The consortium consisted of QuAero Ltd., the University of Malta (as lead partner) and MATS Ltd (The only Maltese ANSP). Patent filed in the US.

The following brief video shows the whole Con-Ops being put to the test by all the stakeholders using the SimLiner Full Flight Simulator in Gudja, Malta.

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The consortium consisted of QuAero Ltd. and the University of Malta (acting as lead partner), with Dr. Ing. Kenneth Chircop acting as coordinator.

Key outputs of CLEAN-FLIGHT were a design and recommendation of new routes to accommodate P-RNAV procedures to be flown in and out of Malta, and a flight management tool as well as the associated concept of operation (the procedure that will be used to operate the tool in flight) to allow the aircraft to be flown more advantageously in terms of emissions, fuel burn and operational costs. The tool was the subject of a patent application filed in the US. The US patent was granted on the 4th of October 2016.

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