DARPA details next phase of ALIAS programme
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has detailed the next phase of its Aircrew Labour In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) programme, with all three contract recipients now announced.
The ALIAS Program focuses on developing a customisable, removable drop-in kit for high automation levels in existing aircrafts and lower on-board crew requirements. It will use advancements in aircraft automation systems and unmanned aerial vehicle technologies to refocus pilot workloads, augment mission performance and improve aircraft safety.
The three contracts for ALIAS have been awarded to Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft. They are working with the technical team of DARPA, which includes US Navy, Army, Air Force and NASA personnel.
In the first phase of ALIAS, DARPA will focus on the development of minimally invasive interfaces between new automation systems and current aircraft. It will also focus on acquiring knowledge on aircraft operations to support the ALIAS toolkit's rapid adaption across different aircraft. Additionally, this phase will focus on user interfaces for high-level human supervision.
Dan Patt, program manager, DARPA, said: 'Because we want to develop a drop-in system for existing aircraft, we chose performers who could conduct actual ground and flight demonstrations at the start of the programme instead of at the end.'
Patt said that much of the hardware for Phase 1 is ready to test, and that DARPA will work closely with the crew operations community, integrating their feedback along the way.
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