On Aug. 9, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and DZYNE Technologies Inc. successfully completed the first flight of ROBOpilot, which they describe as a “revolutionary Robotic Pilot Unmanned Conversion Program.”

The flight, which lasted two hours, was conducted at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.  

“This flight test is a testament to AFRL’s ability to rapidly innovate technology from concept to application in a safe build up approach while still maintaining low cost and short timelines,” says Maj. Gen. William Cooley, AFRL Commander.

According to the entities, ROBOpilot interacts with an aircraft the same way as a human pilot would, as it is capable of “grabbing” the yoke, pushing on the rudders and brakes, controlling the throttle, flipping the appropriate switches and reading the dashboard gauges.

At the same time, the system uses sensors such as GPS and an Inertial Measurement Unit for situational awareness and to gather information. These details are analyzed by a computer to make decisions on how to best control the flight.

ROBOpilot has a simple installation process, as users can remove the pilot’s seat and install a frame in its place, which has all of the equipment that is needed to control the aircraft including actuators, electronics, cameras, power systems and a robotic arm.

According to Dr. Alok Das, senior scientist with AFRL’s Center for Rapid Innovation, this “non-invasive approach” to robotically piloted aircraft utilizes existing commercial technology and components. AFRL says that ROBOpilot incorporates a lot of the subsystems and lessons that it and DZYNE have learned from previous aircraft conversion programs.

“ROBOpilot offers the benefits of unmanned operations without the complexity and upfront cost associated with the development of new unmanned vehicles,” Das says.

The system was developed using a Direct to Phase II SBIR contract. AFRL and DZYNE have spent the last year designing, building and testing ROBOpilot. The initial concept was demonstrated in a full motion, feature-rich advanced aviation training device called the RedBird FMX simulator.

AFRL says that ROBOpilot successfully completed simulated autonomous takeoffs, mission navigation and landings in both nominal and off-nominal conditions in the FAA-certified center.