Airbus Presents Optimate: A Next-Generation A350 Cockpit on Wheels

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, Airbus UpNext, has begun testing new technologies on an innovative electric vehicle in order to support automated taxiing and improve pilot assistance.

The goal of the three-year research project, named Optimate, is to enhance human-machine interaction, flight safety, and aircraft navigation systems by combining a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, such as sophisticated automation, computer vision, data fusion, and machine learning.

Developing and testing automatic taxiing based on more precise and dependable position calculations, as well as evaluating the possibility of using quantum sensing to enhance position availability and navigation system resilience, are important goals of Optimate.

Examining how a virtual flight assistant and collaborative map may help pilots make strategic decisions and communicate with air traffic control and airline operations centres is another goal.

The new architecture and algorithms will be verified on a test bed electric vehicle that can roll along airport runways like an aeroplane and replicates the essential features of an actual aircraft cockpit in order to assist lower CO2 emissions from  test operations. With the help of cutting-edge automation technology including the most recent LIDAR and external cameras, together with GPS, satcom, and 5G, it will resemble an A350 cockpit on wheels.

Utilising the virtual assistant for a completely automated gate-to-gate voyage on an A350 flight test aircraft will be the project’s final phase.