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AI-based autonomous flight control for the aircraft of today and electric VTOLs of tomorrow

Project description

AI for aircraft autonomous flight control systems

AI applications in aeroplanes, helicopters, and the futuristic electric-powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are on the rise due to high performance in autonomous flight control systems. The EU-funded Raven project proposes an innovative flight control system based on AI technology that addresses fly-by-wire aircraft and next-generation eVTOLs. The system is a combination of custom-designed neural networks, core avionics software, computer vision algorithms and special-purpose aviation-grade software, and is designed for certification in aviation. The Raven system will enhance the production of helicopters and respond to the potential future demand for eVTOLs. The system targets the current general aviation market segments and the drones market.

Objective

We are developing Raven—a novel AI autonomous flight control system. Raven is an airframe-agnostic solution targeted at fly-by-wire aircraft of today (fixed-wing airplanes & helicopters) & tomorrow (eVTOLs & others). It is a combination of custom-designed neural networks, core avionics software, computer vision algorithms & special-purpose aviation-grade hardware.
We are developing a special kind of neural networks that are deterministic by design, built specifically for the purposes of certification in aviation. They learn while they are getting trained, they don’t learn when they are piloting aircraft. They run in the dedicated environment & on certifiable hardware that we are creating. This is a major innovation over the generic state-of-the-art in AI.
Airbus forecasts that the potential demand for eVTOLs in the urban air mobility market will be 100X bigger its current yearly production of helicopters. This market can only grow with full flight autonomy provided by Raven.
We have raised €4m+ of funding & already generated €110,000 in early revenues. Our current deal pipeline is worth €2m. As of May 2019 we have signed agreements with 14 most prominent eVTOL OEMs (out of 85+) & have been approached by dozens of others. We are already working with high-profile eVTOL manufacturers such as Volocopter, Lilium Aviation, Kitty Hawk, Dufour Aerospace & multiple others. We also have closed commercial agreements with the avionics vendors, drone OEMs & traditional aircraft OEMs such Euroavionics, AirTractor & Airbus Helicopters. We have also entered a strategic commercial partnership with a major German car manufacturer that wants to enter the eVTOL market & sees Raven as the key enabling solution.
Starting with 2020 we forecast steady cashflows with the drones & existing general aviation market segments. To reach a unicorn valuation we are betting on the urban air mobility market segment.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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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.

SME-2b - SME Instrument (grant only and blended finance)

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Call for proposal

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

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

DAEDALEAN AG
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.

€ 2 234 968,75
Address
ALBISRIEDERSTRASSE 199
8047 ZURICH
Switzerland

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich
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.

€ 3 192 812,50
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