The aviation division of an American multinational company Honeywell will supply the flight control system Compact Fly-By-Wire (cFBW) on AIbot, to support the development of a new line of electric aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) capabilities. This technology will provide the platform with next-generation avionics and support a sustainable transportation ecosystem for the future.
The small cFBW system offers aircraft manufacturers more design flexibility without compromising on issues such as performance or safety. In addition, it allows to eliminate the mechanical connections that control the effectors, which makes maintenance processes easier and more efficient and reduces operating costs. It also enables remote and precise control of the aircraft, translating operator instructions into flight control commands.
According to the vice president and general manager of the company Advanced Air Mobility – Honeywell Aerospace, David Shillidaythe Fly-By-Wire compact controller “is a solution ready to advance the future of sustainable flying, derived from decades of experience in providing similar systems for commercial aircraft. The integration of this module into Aibot aircraft will enable the realization of their vision of creating an efficient transport ecosystem.
Aibot’s mission is to revolutionize the next generation of mobility and transform the aviation industry to usher in an era B2C (business to consumer). To make air travel an affordable and free reality, a California-based company is working to develop two eVTOL aircraft that share the same system architecture and are powered by software with artificial intelligence.
Capacities of different versions
The crewed version is powered by eight electric motors and has a capacity for six passengers and one pilot. It has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) with a weight of 3,175 kg and a maximum range of 400 kilometers, making it suitable for short-distance travel between cities and metropolitan areas. The unmanned version has a MTOW it weighs 360 kilos and has a wingspan of 5.20 meters. It can carry a payload of up to 113 kilograms at a maximum speed of 290 kilometers per hour and achieve a range of almost 100 kilometers. It is intended for the delivery of medicines in remote areas, forestry work, highway patrols and freight transport.
Executive President Aibot, Jerry Wangstated that the company “is poised to revolutionize the urban aerial mobility (UAM) market using the latest state-of-the-art and safety-critical computing platforms, especially those that power the high-performance processing necessary to develop cutting-edge algorithms.”