Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RESPONSE (REduced or Single Pilot Operation iNcapacitation Safety Enhancement)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-09-01 bis 2025-08-31
The resilient growth of global air travel continues to lead to ever busier skies and airports, placing growing workloads on pilots and operators both in the air and on the ground, as well as increasing the demand for pilots globally. Addressing these concerns will require technological solutions, in the form of increasingly automated assistance systems to help alleviate pilot workload (reduced crew operation, extended minimum crew operations), as well as autonomous solutions which can support Single Pilot Operations (SiPO) in the event of pilot incapacitation. On the other side, the adoption of new operational ATM solutions such as SiPO will have an impact on the ground operations and the ATC operators responsibilities. These considerations are aligned with the recent EASA feedbacks on SiPO studies.
The RESPONSE consortium led by Collins Aerospace aims to deliver a TRL2 solution: safe return to land including pilot incapacitation. The proposed solution directly supports pilots’ incapacitation transition monitoring and delivers an integrated air-to-ground SiPO CONOPS to enhance safe return to land operations. In the project, the Consortium delivers a technology enabler as pilot incapacitation transition monitoring method to detect pilot incapacitation and map cognitive states and degradation of human performance. The solution delivered is a safe return to land CONOPS introducing the role of air-to-ground digital assistants minimizing the required changes from dual pilot operations to SiPO, including dealing with pilot incapacitation in the flight deck, with the impact on ATC operators tasks and with the role of human autonomy/AI teaming to support workload reduction.
RESPONSE project builds on top of the outcomes and recommendations of SAFELAND project and will enhance the execution of current projects in SESAR3 Industrial Research, actively contributing to the future preparation and delivery of a full demonstrator for safe return to land in the case of SiPO.
The RESPONSE consortium led by Collins Aerospace aims to deliver a TRL2 solution: safe return to land including pilot incapacitation. The proposed solution directly supports pilots’ incapacitation transition monitoring and delivers an integrated air-to-ground SiPO CONOPS to enhance safe return to land operations. In the project, the Consortium delivers a technology enabler as pilot incapacitation transition monitoring method to detect pilot incapacitation and map cognitive states and degradation of human performance. The solution delivered is a safe return to land CONOPS introducing the role of air-to-ground digital assistants minimizing the required changes from dual pilot operations to SiPO, including dealing with pilot incapacitation in the flight deck, with the impact on ATC operators tasks and with the role of human autonomy/AI teaming to support workload reduction.
RESPONSE project builds on top of the outcomes and recommendations of SAFELAND project and will enhance the execution of current projects in SESAR3 Industrial Research, actively contributing to the future preparation and delivery of a full demonstrator for safe return to land in the case of SiPO.
Regarding the pilot incapacitation monitoring methods, during the first reporting period, a literature review was undertaken to sum up the state of the art in inducing and measuring mental fatigue using certain behavioural and physiological measures (eye-tracking, EEG, fNIRS). The state of interest (mental fatigue) and the three measurement methods were chosen based on the planned work indicated in the Grant Agreement.
For each measurement, the state of science was highlighted by collecting measures that have been shown to be sensitive to changes in mental fatigue, and recent studies on measuring mental fatigue and their results. Moreover, limitations of each measurement method when thinking about integrating it into a cockpit have been discussed. For the purpose of the literature review, behavioural tasks that induce mental fatigue and subjective measures of the state were researched as well to give a broader overview of the state of science on this topic.
After this, WP1 team started planning the experimental campaigns for DLR, NLR and ISAE, which are defined and detailed in the Exploratory Research Plan. In three independent experimental campaigns, the measurement methods of interest (fNIRS, EEG, eye-tracking) will be tested in their suitability to detect signs of mental fatigue and track the progress of growing mental fatigue.
In parallel, during the first months of the reporting period to establish the foundation for the CONOPS development, a state-of-the-art analysis was completed too. The analysis examined methodologies and technologies relevant to transitioning from DPO to SiPO with digital assistant integration. The outcomes include a review of SESAR background projects to identify alignment opportunities and gap, a literature review of relevant concepts, an analysis of the applicable standards and regulations, and a review of current application in other industries. Assumptions were established for defining the roles and the need of the different actors (pilots, DA, ATCO) depending on partial or fully autonomy use cases.
After completing the CONOPS SoTA, WP2 partners started working on the definition of the different CONOPS, performing a goal directed task analysis for the steps associated with aircrafts system failures in DPO and SiPO and those related with pilot incapacitation scenarios in DPO and SiPO, to identify the role of the air and ground digital assistants.
The initial concepts and approaches were shared with the IAB during the first workshop held in early May, the feedback gathered was incorporated to the definitions.
Finally, Collins and CRIDA teams have defined the architecture for the air and ground digital assistants, as well as the scope of the CONOPS demonstration exercises. The proof or concept prototypes are being implemented by both partners, and the work for the air-ground integration has been started. These assistants will apply the concept defined in CONOPS #4, supporting a SiPO safe return to land operation in case of aircraft failure.
For each measurement, the state of science was highlighted by collecting measures that have been shown to be sensitive to changes in mental fatigue, and recent studies on measuring mental fatigue and their results. Moreover, limitations of each measurement method when thinking about integrating it into a cockpit have been discussed. For the purpose of the literature review, behavioural tasks that induce mental fatigue and subjective measures of the state were researched as well to give a broader overview of the state of science on this topic.
After this, WP1 team started planning the experimental campaigns for DLR, NLR and ISAE, which are defined and detailed in the Exploratory Research Plan. In three independent experimental campaigns, the measurement methods of interest (fNIRS, EEG, eye-tracking) will be tested in their suitability to detect signs of mental fatigue and track the progress of growing mental fatigue.
In parallel, during the first months of the reporting period to establish the foundation for the CONOPS development, a state-of-the-art analysis was completed too. The analysis examined methodologies and technologies relevant to transitioning from DPO to SiPO with digital assistant integration. The outcomes include a review of SESAR background projects to identify alignment opportunities and gap, a literature review of relevant concepts, an analysis of the applicable standards and regulations, and a review of current application in other industries. Assumptions were established for defining the roles and the need of the different actors (pilots, DA, ATCO) depending on partial or fully autonomy use cases.
After completing the CONOPS SoTA, WP2 partners started working on the definition of the different CONOPS, performing a goal directed task analysis for the steps associated with aircrafts system failures in DPO and SiPO and those related with pilot incapacitation scenarios in DPO and SiPO, to identify the role of the air and ground digital assistants.
The initial concepts and approaches were shared with the IAB during the first workshop held in early May, the feedback gathered was incorporated to the definitions.
Finally, Collins and CRIDA teams have defined the architecture for the air and ground digital assistants, as well as the scope of the CONOPS demonstration exercises. The proof or concept prototypes are being implemented by both partners, and the work for the air-ground integration has been started. These assistants will apply the concept defined in CONOPS #4, supporting a SiPO safe return to land operation in case of aircraft failure.
Regarding the estimated performance contributions for the improvement of ATM, the main outcome expected in RESPONSE is related to Human Performance: By supporting the pilot(s) in managing workload, prioritising tasks, and maintaining attention during time-critical situations, the pilot digital assistant will help preserve cognitive resources and Situational Awareness (SA), thereby enabling safer and more effective decision-making for a successful return to land. In parallel, ATCO-side support through intelligent information filtering and adaptive communication will ensure a shared mental model between air and ground.
Additionally, although indirectly, the introduction and deployment of these systems is expected to have a positive impact on safety: Increased air-ground autonomy will enable the human actors to be discharged from routine tasks and to focus on strategic tasks, including safety oversight of the operations and operational efficiency: The RESPONSE solution is expected to contribute to the improvement of the operational efficiency thanks to advanced communication means and increased automation (e.g. machine-to machine communication). In addition, further automation will improve trajectory management, in particular vertical flight efficiency.
Additionally, although indirectly, the introduction and deployment of these systems is expected to have a positive impact on safety: Increased air-ground autonomy will enable the human actors to be discharged from routine tasks and to focus on strategic tasks, including safety oversight of the operations and operational efficiency: The RESPONSE solution is expected to contribute to the improvement of the operational efficiency thanks to advanced communication means and increased automation (e.g. machine-to machine communication). In addition, further automation will improve trajectory management, in particular vertical flight efficiency.