Daedalean announces integration of its AI-enabled avionics systems

As recently announced at this year’s HAI HELI-EXPO, Helisul Aviation will be equipping its fleet with Switzerland-based avionics developer Daedalean’s visual traffic awareness system. Meanwhile, Leonardo has tested the Daedalean awareness system for advanced navigation of its rotorcraft. Further to this, Daedalean will integrate its artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technology into Genesys Aerosystems’ Avionics Suite.

Brazilian helicopter operator Helisul becomes the first in the world to roll out an AI-enhanced fleet

Helisul Aviation, one of the largest helicopter operators in Latin America, announced its selection of Daedalean’s PilotEye traffic awareness system for its fleet. Under the terms of the deal, Daedalean’s PilotEye – which combines automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) with AI-enabled visual detection of non-cooperative traffic – will become the first AI-enabled system to be installed on an entire fleet of aircraft. Helisul will retrofit its Airbus AS350 helicopters and will act as Daedalean’s partner for maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), serving all of LatAm for future installations and maintenance of the system.

Daedalean’s PilotEye is a traffic awareness system that merges ADS-B with real-time video footage fed from aircraft-mounted cameras into an onboard computer loaded with a neural network. Daedalean’s machine-learned model can recognize all kinds of airborne hazards, including birds, drones, gliders, paragliders, and other traffic not equipped with transponders.

The system is currently progressing through the certification process with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with concurrent validation by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Daedalean has said it will provide comprehensive support for the integration of its system into Helisul’s fleet as well as supporting the necessary steps for certification by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil.

As Daedalean’s launch customer of PilotEye, Helisul will also be able to collect data in situations and environments specific to their use cases, such as search and rescue (SAR).

Leonardo completes flight-testing using Daedalean’s AI visual awareness capabilities

Leonardo has completed flight-testing using Daedalean’s visual awareness system on its SW-4 and SW-4 Solo rotary uncrewed air systems (RUAS) and optionally piloted helicopters (OPH).

Under a Eureka Eurostars grant, the two companies collaborated on a year-long project to equip Leonardo helicopters with Daedalean’s system. The set-up includes aircraft-mounted cameras and a computer and interface display capable of identifying aerial traffic, determining location in GPS-denied environments, and offering landing guidance.

Testing took place at Leonardo’s PZL-Świdnik facility in Lublin, Poland, from July to September 2023. According to Leonardo, the testing analysis gave outstanding results.

Mattia Cavanna, Head of Technology and Innovation at Leonardo Helicopters, commented: “Improving situational awareness through systems like Daedalean’s in the near future could contribute to further prevent aviation accidents and progressively enable higher degrees of autonomy to our platform.”

Leonardo said it is developing and adopting new technologies using its Leonardo Labs in a bid to connect emerging talent from leading universities with Leonardo’s veteran experts. Leonardo Labs pursues research in areas from materials and quantum technologies to sustainability and applied artificial intelligence.

Daedalean combines its situational intelligence – the ability to understand and make sense of the current environment and anticipate and react to potential threats – visual awareness system with recent developments in computer power to more efficiently complete tasks previously carried out by people.

The company has conducted joint research with regulatory agencies, including the FAA and EASA, to show its AI-based system is certifiable to their safety standards.Its CEO, Dr Luuk van Dijk, has confirmed that Daedalean published multiple studies with regulators to evidence the fact that their “machine-learned algorithms are capable of providing functions meeting and exceeding human capabilities”.

Genesys Aerosystems flight-tests Daedalean’s Ailumina visual awareness system

Genesys Aerosystems, part of controls and systems manufacturer Moog, has announced the completion of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement with Daedalean to develop a roadmap to integrate its technology into the Genesys Avionics Suite.

This comes after successful flight-testing of Daedalean’s OmniX evaluation kit on the Genesys OH-58 Kiowa Helicopter.

Genesys’ General Manager, Paul Stoelting, said: “Genesys Aerosystems is evaluating Daedalean’s technology for autonomy pilot assistance solutions across various fixed-wing and helicopter platforms.”

According to Daedalean, by using situational intelligence the company has built systems that process visual data in-flight in real time for visual traffic detection, navigation, and landing guidance.

Dr Van Dijk commented, “Having a venerable aviation company like Genesys Aerosystems choose to test Daedalean’s technology is a signal that the industry is recognizing the value of AI-enabled systems both for pilot assistance now and as a step toward autonomy.”