According to Professor Ian Jennions, technical director of Cranfield University's Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) Centre, aviation's need for greater efficiency following the Covid-19 crisis has emphasised the value of automatous hanger operations. A future 'conscious aircraft' principle could reduce the need for routine, planned maintenance as well as enhance the ability to anticipate the potential for failures. "With this model, data is synchronised with ground-based systems to optimise how the aircraft is managed throughout its lifecycle," he explains. "Hangars will become data-driven and based around autonomous technologies, with inspections carried out using a combination of aerial and ground-based robotics.
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