Airbus' self-flying plane just completed successful taxi, take-offs and landing tests, opening the door for fully autonomous flight

Airbus

• Airbus just completed its Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off, and Landing project that saw one of its jets perform normally pilot-flown maneuvers entirely on its own.
• The A350-1000 XWB acted as the testbed for the project in its role as Airbus' flagship, with onboard cameras assisting the new technology.
• The project's successful completion opens the door for fully autonomous flights as autopilot already handles most of the functions while airborne. 
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The common belief with airplanes is that they fly themselves after take-off thanks to autopilot, and pilots can sit back and relax for most of the flight. But Airbus just took that idea to the next level after proving a passenger jet can perform complex maneuvers without any pilot input.

The European manufacturer just completed flight testing for its Autonomous Taxi, Take-off, and Landing project in June after its flagship aircraft successfully navigated each phase of flight on its own as pilots simply watched.

Over 500 flights were conducted with the new Airbus A350-1000 XWB that successfully utilized "image recognition technology" to essentially give the plane a pair of eyes. The technology, integrated with the A350's exterior cameras, allowed it to perform the phases of flight entirely on its own, Airbus announced.

The first milestone of the flight testing campaign occurred in December when Airbus was able to successfully demonstrate autonomous take-offs from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. All pilots had to do in the first test was line up the plane with the runway and then sit back and watch as the plane barreled down the runway, lifting off on its own.

With Airbus proving that its jet can also land and taxi on its own, the door is now open to fully autonomous flights.

Take a look at how Airbus was able to do it.

Airbus began the autonomous flight testing program – known as the Autonomous Taxi, Take-off, and Landing project or ATTOL – in 2018.

Source: Airbus

One of its newest jets, the Airbus A350-1000 XWB, was chosen to be the testbed for the project thanks to the advanced technological features of the aircraft.

Read More: Airbus recently delivered the 350th A350 plane, its answer to Boeing's revolutionary 787 Dreamliner. Here's how the new aircraft is reshaping air travel.

The program would rely heavily on the A350's onboard cameras used by pilots to help guide the plane while on the ground, providing viewpoints from the tail and landing gear.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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