Boeing Bets on Robot Pilots
10-05-2017, 10:37 AM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
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Joined APC: Apr 2017
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Boeing Bets on Robot Pilots
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...th-acquisition
Boeing Co. is buying drone pioneer Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., gaining a portfolio of futuristic technology such as unmanned air taxis that may someday navigate city skies for Uber Technologies Inc.
With the acquisition, Boeing is betting that smarter airplanes will dominate flying, with computer algorithms and artificial intelligence playing an increasingly important role in the cockpit. Aurora is an early leader in autonomous flying, with products like a robotic co-pilot and software that can sense landing strips.
“We can’t predict what that future looks like. But whatever form that air travel takes, we want to be a leader,” Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief technology officer, said on a webcast after the acquisition was announced Thursday.
The deal underscores Boeing’s focus on smaller, targeted transactions while competitors such as Northrop Grumman Corp. and suppliers like United Technologies Corp. pursue large-scale mergers. Boeing said the purchase of Manassas, Virginia-based Aurora, which has 550 employees, wouldn’t affect its financial guidance.
Terms weren’t disclosed in a statement by the companies. Hyslop didn’t say if he expects the takeover to close this year, noting that the purchase is subject to U.S. Defense Department approval over the transfer of some of Aurora’s leading-edge technologies.
Aurora has designed, produced and flown more than 30 unmanned air vehicles since the company was founded in 1989. Its aircraft use autonomous technology including perception, machine learning and advanced flight-control systems. There’s the Centaur, an “optionally piloted aircraft,” and a robotic co-pilot that has flown a Boeing 737 flight simulator.
Boeing Co. is buying drone pioneer Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., gaining a portfolio of futuristic technology such as unmanned air taxis that may someday navigate city skies for Uber Technologies Inc.
With the acquisition, Boeing is betting that smarter airplanes will dominate flying, with computer algorithms and artificial intelligence playing an increasingly important role in the cockpit. Aurora is an early leader in autonomous flying, with products like a robotic co-pilot and software that can sense landing strips.
“We can’t predict what that future looks like. But whatever form that air travel takes, we want to be a leader,” Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief technology officer, said on a webcast after the acquisition was announced Thursday.
The deal underscores Boeing’s focus on smaller, targeted transactions while competitors such as Northrop Grumman Corp. and suppliers like United Technologies Corp. pursue large-scale mergers. Boeing said the purchase of Manassas, Virginia-based Aurora, which has 550 employees, wouldn’t affect its financial guidance.
Terms weren’t disclosed in a statement by the companies. Hyslop didn’t say if he expects the takeover to close this year, noting that the purchase is subject to U.S. Defense Department approval over the transfer of some of Aurora’s leading-edge technologies.
Aurora has designed, produced and flown more than 30 unmanned air vehicles since the company was founded in 1989. Its aircraft use autonomous technology including perception, machine learning and advanced flight-control systems. There’s the Centaur, an “optionally piloted aircraft,” and a robotic co-pilot that has flown a Boeing 737 flight simulator.
10-05-2017, 02:26 PM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2016
Posts: 146
Originally Posted by SonicFlyer
Boeing Co. is buying drone pioneer Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., gaining a portfolio of futuristic technology such as unmanned air taxis that may someday navigate city skies for Uber Technologies Inc.
“We can’t predict what that future looks like. But whatever form that air travel takes, we want to be a leader,” Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief technology officer, said on a webcast after the acquisition was announced Thursday.
“We can’t predict what that future looks like. But whatever form that air travel takes, we want to be a leader,” Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief technology officer, said on a webcast after the acquisition was announced Thursday.
10-05-2017, 04:39 PM
#6
Mad Max
Joined APC: Oct 2017
Posts: 14
Honestly, as far as flying goes, we will always need a human pilot and we would be wise to keep at least one on board at all times. Artificial Intelligence can be coerced and manipulated by outside agents or by the AI itself. I believe that going forward in all AI endeavors it will be wise to keep fail-safe mechanisms supervised by humans.
It's one thing to have automated cars, going and coming along a two-dimensional plane, taking them up in the air as the article states may be feasible but still a stretch unless another technology is invented. People forget that we still have wind and weather. Cars are made aerodynamically to stick to the ground thereby eliminating most of the effects of bad weather. Making things fly is a different beast, even with some form of hovering technology, not to mention that in a three-dimensional plane, there are all sorts of things one can crash into.
These companies are jumping the gun, first, bring out these self-driving cars and let us see how their implementation is received by the general public, as well as their effectiveness. I'm sure there will be some kinks to work out.
The aerospace industry should really focus on bringing the costs of energizing the motors in planes down by developing the utilization alternative fuel sources. Then we should work on air travel speed, all the while working on increasing safety. This is what the general public would love, they would love to safely arrive at their destination faster than they do now for a bit less money in a safe manner, in aircraft that pollute less, even if their aircrew continually does less and less because when you start feeling that little turbulence at 4 am while crossing the Atlantic Ocean the last thing you want is some AI whispering in the intercom to relax and that everything will be fine. Nothing beats your aircrew having some skin in the game as well.
I'm with Elon Musk on this one, one day we will come to learn that certain forms of Artifical Intelligence will be capable of terrorism as well and when that happens I wouldn't want to be the airline holding that bag of planes. We should thread these new waters safely.
It's one thing to have automated cars, going and coming along a two-dimensional plane, taking them up in the air as the article states may be feasible but still a stretch unless another technology is invented. People forget that we still have wind and weather. Cars are made aerodynamically to stick to the ground thereby eliminating most of the effects of bad weather. Making things fly is a different beast, even with some form of hovering technology, not to mention that in a three-dimensional plane, there are all sorts of things one can crash into.
These companies are jumping the gun, first, bring out these self-driving cars and let us see how their implementation is received by the general public, as well as their effectiveness. I'm sure there will be some kinks to work out.
The aerospace industry should really focus on bringing the costs of energizing the motors in planes down by developing the utilization alternative fuel sources. Then we should work on air travel speed, all the while working on increasing safety. This is what the general public would love, they would love to safely arrive at their destination faster than they do now for a bit less money in a safe manner, in aircraft that pollute less, even if their aircrew continually does less and less because when you start feeling that little turbulence at 4 am while crossing the Atlantic Ocean the last thing you want is some AI whispering in the intercom to relax and that everything will be fine. Nothing beats your aircrew having some skin in the game as well.
I'm with Elon Musk on this one, one day we will come to learn that certain forms of Artifical Intelligence will be capable of terrorism as well and when that happens I wouldn't want to be the airline holding that bag of planes. We should thread these new waters safely.
10-05-2017, 05:49 PM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2016
Posts: 393
Originally Posted by jcountry
Exactly.
Pilotless airliners are a long way off.
I'll believe it's an inevitability once I can get a damn roomba to figure out what the hell a bed is-and not get stuck under it every single time
Pilotless airliners are a long way off.
I'll believe it's an inevitability once I can get a damn roomba to figure out what the hell a bed is-and not get stuck under it every single time
10-16-2017, 02:00 PM
#9
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,227
Boeing's not betting on anything they can't sell...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/o...ft-region&_r=1
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/o...ft-region&_r=1
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