A UK ‘flying taxi’ manufacturer is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve performance and accelerate time to market.
Vertical Aerospace, which designs and builds zero emission, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electrically powered aircraft from its Bristol base, has teamed up with Monolith to optimise its eVTOL testing and simulation programmes.
Flight and ground tests for eVTOL are incredibly complex, expensive, and time-consuming, typically requiring engineers to spend hundreds of hours validating simulations across tens of thousands of parameters and operating conditions.
Vertical Aerospace will use Monolith to accelerate development of its VX4 eVTOL aircraft by using AI for new design insights and more efficient test plans in less time. The first project focuses on testing and simulation of the VX4’s supporting pylon structures for ground tests of the propeller and electric motor structural and performance requirements.
Monolith’s advanced ‘Next Test Recommender’ (NTR) AI-driven algorithm will provide Vertical Aerospace engineers with a ranked selection of the most impactful tests to run, increasing design space coverage in unknown areas with a more efficient and trustworthy test plan.
David King, Chief Engineer, Vertical Aerospace, said: “Transforming how the world moves requires constant innovation. Collaborating with Monolith allows us to harness cutting-edge AI technology to streamline our testing processes, enabling us to focus on the most impactful areas and accelerate the VX4’s journey to market. By integrating Monolith’s tools, we can enhance our engineering precision, reduce timelines, and continue setting the benchmark for the eVTOL industry.”
Dr. Richard Ahlfeld, CEO and Founder of Monolith, said: “Urban air mobility has the potential to revolutionise how we travel, and one of the most promising contributors to this transformation is Vertical’sVX4. With Monolith, Vertical will model complex systems faster and accelerate test campaigns, enabling the company to learn more about design performance while reducing development and testing time.”
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