The drones will be controlled by Artificial Intelligence
The US Air Force is collaborating with Boeing on drones equipped with artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and 5G technology to streamline essential defense tasks, as reported by Sarbaz.kz citing The Defence News.
At the joint Pearl Harbor-Hickam base in Hawaii, members of the 15th Air Force Maintenance Group tested a new method of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for aircraft inspection, corrosion detection, and missing rivet searches, significantly reducing inspection time.
The drones, operated by Near Earth Autonomy in collaboration with Boeing, have the capability to simplify and expedite inspection processes considerably.
Experts highlight that the autonomous UAV surveys the aircraft, utilizes AI to identify problem areas, and then communicates the results to the operator through a detailed report.
Based on initial experiments, the drone working in tandem with the operator demonstrates higher accuracy compared to an entire inspection team. The autonomous aircraft inspection system achieves approximately 70% accuracy. Boeing anticipates that with further refinement by maintenance specialists, this accuracy will improve over time.
