Human Factors Challenges in Urban Air Mobility
Scott Scheff, Ferne Friedman-Berg, Jay Shively, Andrew Carter
Abstract
For several generations there has been the vision of the flying car, a way to leave the road behind and fly through the skies from one point to another above the urban landscape. Finally, we appear to be on the cusp of true urban air mobility (UAM). Companies such as Uber Elevate, Amazon Delivery Drones, Hyundai Motor Company, and KittyHawk are looking to change the way we transport not just ourselves, but packages too. With this UAM capability however, comes multiple challenges for the human factors practitioner. Topics covered in this panel discussion will include the various challenges associated with safely operating UAM platforms in the airspace, requirement considerations, workload factors, and machine vs. human automation needs. This diverse panel includes renowned UAM and unmanned systems experts representing Government and Industry.