Airbus Truck Fitted with Airplane Controls to Test Self-taxiing
2024-05-30
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1European aerospace company Airbus has fitted a special truck with airplane controls in an effort to test self-taxiing abilities.
2Airbus officials recently introduced the truck in Paris at Europe's largest technology event, VivaTech.
3The electric vehicle can drive like a truck, or it can activate the aircraft system controls.
4A demonstration showed how the truck works.
5It uses numerous cameras and sensors to help follow airport direction signals and avoid obstacles as computers guide the vehicle along its path.
6In a statement, Airbus described the effort as a three-year research project called Optimate.
7The goal is to deploy and test the best technologies to help aircraft better recognize their surroundings and current operating conditions.
8In addition, the company said detailed data from the experiments will be examined to help develop pilot assistance systems for airport taxiing.
9The technology demonstration came after several incidents of airplanes crashing on the ground at airports.
10One of those happened in January, when a Japanese Airlines Airbus350 was landing and hit a coast guard plane already on the runway.
11An investigation was launched last month after a British Airways jet struck a stationary Virgin Atlantic plane at London's Heathrow Airport.
12That crash caused only minor damage to both aircraft.
13And in February, U.S. investigators said they were looking into a crash involving two JetBlue planes at Logan International Airport in Boston.
14Airbus officials have said they hope the specially designed truck can show how self-taxiing, or automation, technology can help safely guide costly jets through increasingly crowded airports.
15The vehicle uses multiple technologies related to automation, navigation and artificial intelligence (AI).
16Matthieu Gallas is the head of automation research at UpNext, a special technology research laboratory for Airbus.
17He told Reuters news agency, "These use cases are much more critical and complicated compared to those of the car industry."
18Slow-speed airport crash incidents rarely result in serious injuries or deaths.
19But they represent a costly and growing problem for airlines, airports, insurers and passengers.
20Such incidents can cause major passenger delays.
21They also can lead to costly plane repairs.
22The chief executive of UpNext is Michael Augello.
23He said in a statement that a big aim of the Optimate project is to demonstrate a new system to support "safer and more efficient air travel."
24The UpNext team says the refitted truck is to be tested live at airports in preparation for testing A350-1000 aircraft in the future.
25Company officials say if the airport tests are successful, the project could also result in airplane design changes.
26But getting such systems approved can be a long and difficult process.
27Gallas said Airbus jets already use some automation technologies to limit pilot error.
28But those systems are not considered fully autonomous.
29In other words, they can only predict and behave in certain situations.
30The testing truck is equipped with light-based LiDAR technology.
31LiDAR uses a series of sensors and light lasers that can measure distances and produce three-dimensional (3D) maps of the surrounding environment.
32Airbus said the research vehicle is expected to explore progressively higher levels of automation as the experiments continue.
33The company noted it has no immediate plans to introduce autonomous jetliners to the skies.
34Karim Mokaddem is a former automobile executive.
35He now leads research and technology for Airbus.
36He told Reuters he thinks LiDAR will be the most effective technology for the testing vehicle.
37The possible use of LiDAR to improve aircraft safety recently received attention after severe turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines jet.
38That incident left one passenger dead and several others injured.
39Researchers have looked at LiDAR technology as a possible way to identify and track possibly dangerous air currents that may not be picked up by radar equipment.
40Reuters reported that Boeing began testing such a system in 2018.
41Technology experts are looking to possibly expand LiDAR as a tool to help predict turbulence.
42I'm Bryan Lynn
1European aerospace company Airbus has fitted a special truck with airplane controls in an effort to test self-taxiing abilities. 2Airbus officials recently introduced the truck in Paris at Europe's largest technology event, VivaTech. The electric vehicle can drive like a truck, or it can activate the aircraft system controls. 3A demonstration showed how the truck works. It uses numerous cameras and sensors to help follow airport direction signals and avoid obstacles as computers guide the vehicle along its path. 4In a statement, Airbus described the effort as a three-year research project called Optimate. The goal is to deploy and test the best technologies to help aircraft better recognize their surroundings and current operating conditions. 5In addition, the company said detailed data from the experiments will be examined to help develop pilot assistance systems for airport taxiing. 6The technology demonstration came after several incidents of airplanes crashing on the ground at airports. One of those happened in January, when a Japanese Airlines Airbus350 was landing and hit a coast guard plane already on the runway. 7An investigation was launched last month after a British Airways jet struck a stationary Virgin Atlantic plane at London's Heathrow Airport. That crash caused only minor damage to both aircraft. 8And in February, U.S. investigators said they were looking into a crash involving two JetBlue planes at Logan International Airport in Boston. 9Airbus officials have said they hope the specially designed truck can show how self-taxiing, or automation, technology can help safely guide costly jets through increasingly crowded airports. The vehicle uses multiple technologies related to automation, navigation and artificial intelligence (AI). 10Matthieu Gallas is the head of automation research at UpNext, a special technology research laboratory for Airbus. He told Reuters news agency, "These use cases are much more critical and complicated compared to those of the car industry." 11Slow-speed airport crash incidents rarely result in serious injuries or deaths. But they represent a costly and growing problem for airlines, airports, insurers and passengers. Such incidents can cause major passenger delays. They also can lead to costly plane repairs. 12The chief executive of UpNext is Michael Augello. He said in a statement that a big aim of the Optimate project is to demonstrate a new system to support "safer and more efficient air travel." 13The UpNext team says the refitted truck is to be tested live at airports in preparation for testing A350-1000 aircraft in the future. 14Company officials say if the airport tests are successful, the project could also result in airplane design changes. But getting such systems approved can be a long and difficult process. 15Gallas said Airbus jets already use some automation technologies to limit pilot error. But those systems are not considered fully autonomous. In other words, they can only predict and behave in certain situations. 16The testing truck is equipped with light-based LiDAR technology. LiDAR uses a series of sensors and light lasers that can measure distances and produce three-dimensional (3D) maps of the surrounding environment. 17Airbus said the research vehicle is expected to explore progressively higher levels of automation as the experiments continue. The company noted it has no immediate plans to introduce autonomous jetliners to the skies. 18Karim Mokaddem is a former automobile executive. He now leads research and technology for Airbus. He told Reuters he thinks LiDAR will be the most effective technology for the testing vehicle. 19The possible use of LiDAR to improve aircraft safety recently received attention after severe turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines jet. That incident left one passenger dead and several others injured. 20Researchers have looked at LiDAR technology as a possible way to identify and track possibly dangerous air currents that may not be picked up by radar equipment. 21Reuters reported that Boeing began testing such a system in 2018. Technology experts are looking to possibly expand LiDAR as a tool to help predict turbulence. 22I'm Bryan Lynn 23Reuters and Airbus reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 24__________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26efficient - adj. working well and not wasting time or energy 27obstacle - n. a barrier that makes it difficult to get something done 28navigation - n. a system to find the right direction to travel by using maps or electronic equipment 29taxi - n. the movement of an aircraft as it drives on the ground after landing 30complicated - adj. involving a lot of different parts or information that is difficult to understand 31turbulence - n. unsteady or violent movement of air or water 32track - v. follow something closely