We describe the Wayfinder Flight Laboratory to support data-driven development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for aircraft autonomy. The Flight Laboratory serves as a hardware and software platform for data collection and in-the-loop testing of embedded flight functions. The crucial fuel for AI development is data of sufficient volume, diversity, and quality. Also, for safety-critical, embedded real-time systems, real-world testing is essential. The Flight Laboratory is designed to fufill both of these requirements while also minimizing operational cost and providing an agile and flexible platform for AI development in aviation.
Tieu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.