Integrating Urban Air Mobility toward assured autonomy

May 4, 2021 | AUVSI News

New technologies start in the research stage and undergo experimentation before becoming operationalized – and unmanned and autonomous systems are no exception. While small unmanned aerial systems (UAS), like drones, have reached the final stage, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology is still in the research and experimentation phases.

During a panel discussion at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL, Parimal Kopardeka, Director at NASA’s Aeronautics Research Institute shared his vision of UAM as the next frontier in reaching more communities, providing more goods and services, and increasing transportation access. Steve Bradford, Chief Scientist for Architecture and Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Development at FAA, echoed this sentiment by stating, “I am confident that in 10 years, 15 years we will be able to accommodate [UAM] in the airspace.” But to realize these goals, today’s legacy airspace will need to adapt and connect to new entrants in a way that ensures the safe and efficient movement of all users in mixed-use airspace. UAM integration will require the prioritization of safety above all else, as well as meaningful infrastructure investments and ongoing stakeholder collaboration. 

Safety

Diana Cooper, Head of US Policy at Hyundai Urban Air Mobility, emphasized the most important way to support UAM safety is to ensure FAA maintains authority over the national airspace. Cohesive national rules support the safety of both UAM operations and traditional aerial systems, while a patchwork of conflicting laws would divide airspace and hinder new opportunities and services. UAM developers and operators must also demonstrate rigorous levels of safety in order to build public trust and acceptance. By sharing examples of safe and positive impacts of their technologies with communities where they operate, UAM companies will be better prepared to successfully scale and integrate. 

Infrastructure

To reach the full potential of assured autonomy, UAM solutions will need to integrate with other modes of mobility across rural and urban environments. Gary Cutts, Challenge Director – Future Flight for UK Research and Innovation, highlighted the fact that this type of integration will require physical, digital, and cybersecurity infrastructure – and that these assets will need to be reached contemporaneously in order to accommodate new classes of air mobility that operate in the same airspace. 

Collaboration

Finally, successful integration of UAM within the national airspace will require collaboration between regulators, academia, and industry stakeholders. Together, these groups can set performance standards that support still-emerging technologies and avoid falling into incompatible, disparate solutions. As AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne stated during his Community Address at the start of XPONENTIAL 2021, “We are at a critical moment for unmanned systems, and our industry will succeed together if we address technology, ecosystem, and policy challenges through a collaborative process. We will have our differences, but with safety as our lodestar, we will achieve the most success when we work together, collaborate with lawmakers and regulators, and educate end users and the public.”