Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Digital Assistants for Reducing Workload & Increasing collaboratioN

Project description

The sky’s the limit for aviation automation and safety

As aviation faces unprecedented challenges like pilot shortages and increased complexity due to drones and air taxis, a solution for maintaining operational efficiency and safety is imperative. In this context, the EU-funded DARWIN project will develop AI-based automation for cockpit and flight operations. With a vision of single pilot operations, DARWIN seeks to demonstrate safety levels equivalent to or higher than full crew operations while reducing workload. This groundbreaking endeavour addresses the challenges posed by emerging technologies like drones and air taxis, ensuring operational efficiency and safety. As the aviation industry faces a looming pilot shortage and growing environmental concerns, DARWIN aims to support the commercial viability of these new airspace users.

Objective

DARWIN ambition and vision is to develop technology enabling AI based level 4 automation for cockpit and flight operation as a key enabler for SPO (Single Pilot Operations) and demonstrate the same (or higher) level of safety with same (or lower) workload as operations with a full crew.
It will bring solutions that will help the market maintain operational efficiency with increased complexity and routing flexibility, which are expected by the emergence of drones and air taxis. The results will support the commercial and operational viability of those new airspace users, even with the forecasted pilot shortage and growing environmental concerns. AI-based automation will come with its own challenges that need to be addressed to keep the high safety standards for the next generation of automation. One of the biggest challenges is to facilitate the cooperation between humans and AI.
The DARWIN project builds upon the available technology base in AI and leverages the partners’ excellent position in the aviation supply chain to address the need for scalable, interconnected, and highly automated eMCO (Extended Minimum Crew Operations) and SPO operation concepts as one of the inherent foundational building blocks of the Digital European Sky (SESAR ATM Master Plan Phase D).
The system will consist of 3 core enabling technology layers: 1) Trustworthy Machine Reasoning Platform will provide capabilities for rule-driven, transparent, and explainable decision aiding or decision making. 2) Human-AI Collaboration layer will be implemented on top of the Reasoning Platform. It will provide collaborative capabilities for the pilot interaction with the adaptive automation and assistants to efficiently keep the human-in-the-loop of the workflow in the eMCO or SPO cockpit with the Level 4 automation. 3) Pilot State and Taskload Monitor will provide data to the collaboration layer and automation to adaptively react. The project will deliver a TRL7 system validated in ops environment.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-JU-IA - HORIZON JU Innovation Actions

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-IR-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL SRO
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 119 940,00
Address
V PARKU 2325/16 CHODOV
148 00 PRAHA
Czechia

See on map

Region
Česko Praha Hlavní město Praha
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 3 285 712,25

Participants (4)

My booklet 0 0