Honeywell is testing an autonomous landing system

These could be used with mobile apps, designated as a destination, and paid for the flight. However, one of the cornerstones of the widespread use of such solutions is that the machines can complete the roads completely automatically or with minimal human intervention. Landing and landing is the most difficult task, just like any other aircraft.

To do this, Honeywell plans to solve the fully automatic landing with cameras and sensors mounted on the machines, as well as QR-code-like signals installed at the landing point, the company said in a statement.

This solution has been successfully used by several startups and major drone manufacturers with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) already equipped with advanced positioning systems but also commercially available. They are able to land at the selected point with high accuracy with GPS-based help, depending on the circumstances, but the error rate is still high enough.

The U.S. company also successfully completed its first tests with a redesigned AS-350 helicopter on June 23 and is planning further ones in partnership with partner companies. If everything goes according to plan, automated landings will be safely possible in 12 months. And when applied to new types of aircraft that are actually commercially available, the solution can not only reduce the workload of pilots, but also improve flight safety and reduce turnaround times between two routes, which is key to economical operation.

Honeywell expects the money invested in the development to pay off soon, with urban air mobility services growing into a market of up to $ 120 billion by 2030, in which passenger and freight will have an equal share.