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NASA\u2019s Advanced Air Mobility vision involves the skies above the U.S. filled with new types of aircraft, including air taxis. But making that vision a reality involves ensuring that people will actually want to ride these aircraft \u2013 which is why NASA has been working to evaluate comfort, to see what passengers will and won\u2019t tolerate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA is conducting a series of studies to understand how air taxi motion, vibration, and other factors affect ride comfort. The agency will provide the data it gathers to industry and others to guide the design and operational practices for future air taxis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results of this study can guide air taxi companies to design aircraft that take off, land, and respond to winds and gusts in a way that is comfortable for the passengers,\u201d said Curt Hanson, senior flight controls researcher for this project based at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.\u202f\u201cPassengers who enjoy their experience in an air taxi are more likely to become repeat riders, which will help the industry grow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air taxi comfort research team uses NASA Armstrong\u2019s Ride Quality Laboratory as well as the Human Vibration Lab and Vertical Motion Simulator at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley to study passenger response to ride quality, as well as how easily and precisely a pilot can control and maneuver aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After pilots checked out the simulator setup, the research team conducted a study in October where NASA employees volunteered to participate as passengers to experience the virtual air taxi flights and then describe their comfort level to the researchers. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Using this testing, the team produced an initial study that found a relationship between levels of sudden vertical motion and passenger discomfort. More data collection is needed to understand the combined effect of motion, vibration, and other factors on passenger comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Vertical Motion Simulator, we can investigate how technology and aircraft design choices affect the handling qualities of the aircraft, generate data as pilots maneuver the air taxi models under realistic conditions, and then use this to further investigate passenger comfort in the Ride Quality and Human Vibration Labs,\u201d said Carlos Malpica, senior rotorcraft flight dynamics researcher for this effort based at NASA Ames.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
This work is managed by the\u202fRevolutionary Vertical Lift Technology\u202fproject under NASA\u2019s\u202fAdvanced Air Vehicles Program\u202fin support of NASA\u2019s\u202fAdvanced Air Mobility mission,\u202fwhich\u202fseeks to deliver data to guide the industry\u2019s development of electric air taxis and\u202fdrones.\u202f<\/p>\n \n