Airplane manufacturer Boeing has apparently teamed up with SparkCognition, an artificial intelligence technology company to develop UAS (unmanned aircraft system) traffic management (UTM) solutions. Using AI and blockchain technologies, Boeing and SparkCognition will track autonomous air vehicles in flight and drones in order to allocate traffic corridors and routes that would ensure secure transportation.
As per sources, through this partnership, both the companies plan to deliver a standardized programming interface for supporting industrial inspection and package delivery among other commercial applications. Reportedly, Boeing also plans to set up a new organization called Boeing NeXt to advance UTM as well as next-generation travel.
Sources claim that Boeing NeXt will leverage Boeing’s R&D activities and investments in advanced propulsion and autonomous flight, while simultaneously focusing on exploring novel growth opportunities that would help solve transportation challenges in the future.
Greg Hyslop, chief technology officer, Boeing, stated that societal trends and technological advancements are now converging in a bid to demand unique travel, a change taken note of by Boeing, that possesses expertise to efficiently reshape the travel and transport cosmos. The company, via Boeing NeXt, will be opening up new frontiers for better mobility with the help of tried-and-tested technologies, he further adds.
Incidentally, Boeing is also pursuing development in the emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and hybrid and fully electric propulsion. The company has, in addition, released a video outlining how these enablers can come together with digital systems in order to make the integration of autonomous and piloted air vehicles a reality.
Steve Nordlund, VP, Boeing HorizonX, was quoted stating that by adopting a holistic approach combining Boeing’s strength in technological innovations with the latest business models, the company is gearing up to lay the foundation for the future of a commercial mobility ecosystem. He also added that they are shaping the physical and connectivity infrastructure that would ensure the safety of new air vehicles while they operate in a global air space.