DZYNE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: AF162-D003

Description

The ROBOpilot Unmanned Aircraft Conversion System is a modular system that rapidly converts existing manned aircraft into an autonomous unmanned aircraft without making permanent modifications to the host aircraft. ROBOpilot autonomously pilots an aircraft using the instruments and controls available to a human pilot. An onboard flight computer with autopilot will gather aircraft state data and make piloting decisions based on that information. Actuators directly manipulate the flight controls as would a human pilot while computer vision reads the aircraft instruments. The purpose of this effort is to mature the robotic pilot technology and architecture previously developed to produce a robotic pilot capable of physically testing a rapidly converted general aviation aircraft in an actual flight test environment. The ROBOpilot capability enables a host of defense and commercial missions, including cargo delivery, entry into hazardous environments, and ISR missions.