MERLIN
01
As pioneers of safe and autonomous flight technology we are focused on making significant advancements in safety-critical flight capabilities for the Merlin Pilot. These advancements reflect Merlin’s commitment to developing cutting-edge technology that combines human expertise with automation to create a robust autonomy framework. By leveraging natural language processing, computer vision, and advanced planning capabilities, Merlin is paving the way for safer, scalable, and resilient air networks.
The Advanced Capabilities Team at Merlin is currently focused on developing three features:
- Automated Checklists: Merlin’s system integrates seamlessly with cockpit operations, automating checklist procedures related to aircraft state before, during, and after flight. Acting as a digital copilot, the system builds on the same natural language processing (NLP) technology used in Merlin’s automated communications system to provide verbal prompts and multiple levels of checklist item validation, ensuring efficiency and reducing errors in checklist procedures. This feature allows human pilots to concentrate on critical decisions during flight.
*The system progresses through the takeoff checklist, detecting several gauges in a simulated cockpit and identifying the values from those gauges.
- Autonomous Navigation and Dynamic Replanning: Merlin’s autonomous navigation capabilities understand airspace environments to coordinate flight planning and execution. The system can monitor changing environmental conditions, deconflict no-fly zones from preferred avoidance regions, and route the aircraft accordingly. This adaptive navigation reduces the pilot’s cognitive workload, ensuring safe and efficient flight.
*Merlin autonomous navigation demo, showcasing Merlin’s UI alongside the simulation view.
- Automated Emergency Landing: Merlin’s emergency landing system can identify suitable landing locations and guides the aircraft to safety during emergency scenarios. It accounts for aircraft performance, current state, and environmental factors, continuously runs in the background during normal operations, and is ready to seamlessly transition in emergencies. More specifically, the system generates an initial set of destinations (airport + runway) that should be considered before performing more complex calculations, like planning and ranking routes to destinations. This advanced planning mitigates risks and enhances aircraft safety.
*Emergency landing candidate selector, representing options for two scenarios.
The emergency landing system currently accounts for two scenarios:
- The blue circle represents the maximum range to candidate destinations (blue triangles) based on the amount of available fuel.
- The red circle represents glide distance to candidate destinations (red triangles) should the engines stop functioning (total loss of thrust).
Watch our new video with the Merlin’s Advanced Capabilities Team to hear more from them about the capabilities we explore above and more.
Merlin’s Advanced Capabilities Team develops experimental versions of future-looking capabilities enabling reduced crew and fully autonomous flight. The team builds and tests novel features drawn from industry needs, customer input, and simplified vehicle operations principles. Interested in joining the team? Check out our careers page to see all open roles at Merlin.