NASA and Industry Test AI-Powered Data Fabric for Autonomous Air Mobility

NASA partnered with Autonomy Association International Inc. (AAI) to develop a data and reasoning fabric aimed at supporting autonomous urban air mobility and aeronautic decision-making. In 2022 AAI signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA’s Ames Research Center to help build the Data and Reasoning Fabric project, intended to improve transportation of people and cargo to areas previously unserved or underserved by aviation and to provide reliable, current data for aeronautic decisions.

A data fabric links multiple, intertwined data sources. Unlike some commercial systems that draw only from cloud providers, NASA’s fabric can incorporate information from local governments and other service providers so autonomous aircraft can prioritize requests and responses while flying over different communities.

Working with Ken Freeman, the project’s principal investigator at Ames, AAI and NASA carried out four flight test adaptations over Arizona using AAI hardware and software. The trials evaluated advanced air mobility passenger scenarios and a drone-like rapid medical delivery mission, sending new tasks to the aircraft in flight.

A helicopter stood in for both the drone and air taxi, collecting data and programs over towns, universities, tribal lands and the airspace around Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.

Key Topics

Tech, Nasa, Autonomy Association International, Ames Research Center, Data Fabric, Urban Air Mobility