Through a NASA tiny Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and a collaboration with The Boeing Company, a tiny company called Near Earth Autonomy created a time-saving drone-based pre-flight inspection solution for commercial airlines.

Through a NASA tiny Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and a collaboration with The Boeing Company, a tiny company called Near Earth Autonomy created a time-saving drone-based pre-flight inspection solution for commercial airlines.

Every trip requires a pre-flight check before commercial airlines are considered safe to fly. Workers may have to climb around the aircraft to check for problems during this four-hour operation, which occasionally leads to both safety incidents and incorrect diagnoses.

Under its business unit Proxim, Near Earth Autonomy created a drone-enabled technology that can fly around a commercial airplane and collect inspection data in less than 30 minutes with funding from NASA and Boeing to improve commercial readiness. By following a computer-programmed job card based on the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations for commercial aviation inspection, the drone may fly around an airplane on its own to finish the inspection. The card provides aviation workers with a new tool to improve safety and efficiency by displaying the flight route that the drone’s software must follow.

According to NASA senior leader for autonomous systems Danette Allen, “NASA has collaborated with Near Earth Autonomy on autonomous inspection challenges in various domains.”

“We are excited to see this technology spin out to industry to increase efficiencies, safety, and accuracy of the aircraft inspection process for overall public benefit.”

Remote sharing and analysis of the drone’s captured images enables professionals in the aircraft maintenance industry to support repair decisions more quickly from any place. You may check for cracks, popped rivets, leaks, and other typical problems by comparing new and old photos.

If an area fails an inspection or has to be inspected again, the user can request that the system provide notifications. According to Near Earth Autonomy, the airline sector may save an average of $10,000 per hour by employing drones for aircraft inspections instead of spending unscheduled time on the ground.

Near Earth Autonomy has conducted multiple test flights of their drone technology on Boeing aircraft operated by American Airlines and Emirates Airlines during the past six years.

Through the assistance of creative ideas proposed by small businesses to meet NASA and industry needs, NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer initiative, overseen by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, seeks to strengthen American inventiveness. The yearly SBIR solicitations outline these research needs and focus on inventions with high commercialization potential.

The NASA SBIR/STTR program is open to small firms with 500 or fewer employees or small businesses collaborating with a non-profit research organization, like a university or research facility.