AstraQua 获 NASA 127 万美元合同开发自主飞行器健康感知技术

NASA has awarded US physical artificial intelligence company AstraQua a $1.275 million Phase II contract to develop its AstraSense technology for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, including advanced air mobility applications.

The work will build on an earlier phase in which AstraQua demonstrated real-time diagnostics and predictive health monitoring to NASA. The next stage will focus on integrating the technology with aircraft systems and developing health-informed decision-making capabilities for safety-critical applications.

AstraSense is designed to allow autonomous machines to monitor their own condition and use that information to determine whether they should continue a task, adapt their operation or stop. The system aims to identify potential problems before they lead to equipment failure, allowing an aircraft’s operating decisions to account for the condition of its systems.

AstraQua describes the concept as teaching robots to “feel pain”. In practice, this means using sensor data and onboard analysis to assess the health and operating limits of a machine, rather than relying solely on instructions about where to go or what task to perform.

The technology is also intended to support coordination between different autonomous platforms. If a machine becomes unable to complete its assigned task, its status could be shared with other suitably equipped systems so that remaining work can be reassigned. AstraQua gives the example of drones and ground robots working together on industrial inspections.

The company says its approach prioritises low-power onboard processing and reduced dependence on continuous cloud connectivity. This could be relevant to aircraft operating in areas where communications are limited, although the system’s performance and suitability for aviation use will need to be established through further testing and validation.

The NASA-funded programme will include verification and validation work intended to assess the technology for safety-critical applications. The contract does not itself indicate that AstraSense has been approved for use in certified aircraft or autonomous commercial flight operations.

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The post AstraQua Secures $1.27m NASA Contract to Let Autonomous Aircraft “Feel Pain” appeared first on eVTOL Insights.