Boeing and SparkCognition working together on drone solutions
Boeing has announced it will be working with artificial intelligence company SparkCognition to deliver unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) solutions.
In a statement issued today (17 July), the aerospace company said that they will use AI and blockchain technologies to “track unmanned air vehicles in flight and allocate traffic corridors and routes to ensure safe, secure transportation”.
The companies added – and this may spark particular interest among Post&Parcel readers – that: “Through the collaboration, they will also provide a standardized programming interface to support package delivery, industrial inspection and other commercial applications.”
Amir Husain, founder and CEO of SparkCognition, commented: “Estimated by some analysts at $3 trillion, the urban aerial mobility opportunity will lead to the creation of the largest new market in our lifetimes.
“The world’s number one aviation leader partnering with the world’s most innovative industrial AI company means that unparalleled experience in safety, innovation, scale, and reliability will be brought to bear to address this monumental opportunity.”
The Boeing statement added: “To help advance UTM and next-generation travel, and evolve the transportation ecosystem, Boeing is standing up a new organization, Boeing NeXt. It will leverage Boeing’s research and development activities and investments in areas such as autonomous flight and advanced propulsion, as well as focus on modeling smart cities and exploring new market opportunities to solve for the transportation challenges of the future.”
Steve Nordlund, who will lead Boeing NeXt in addition to his role as vice president of Boeing HorizonX, commented: “By taking a holistic approach that combines Boeing’s strength in technological innovation with new business models and nontraditional partnerships, we are laying the foundation for the future commercial mobility ecosystem.
“We are shaping the physical and connectivity infrastructure to ensure new air vehicles safely operate in the global air space.”
