Hu Lijuan, Yan Xufei, Yuan Ye
Zhejiang Financial College, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
Tianmushan Laboratory, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 311100, China.
Heliyon. 2024 Dec 10;11(1):e41055. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41055. eCollection 2025 Jan 15.
Urban Air Transportation (UAT) encompasses private aircraft, air taxis, and specialized missions. These missions include aerial sightseeing, logistics transportation, emergency response, and anti-terrorism operations. They impose stringent requirements on advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. These requirements include efficient hovering performance, high-speed cruising capability, and compliance with strict safety and clean energy standards. Consequently, one of the core vehicles for AAM is the efficient and reliable eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft. Therefore, this paper presents a review of current research on eVTOL aircraft, and highlights potential research paths to advance this innovative field. We begin by classifying and analyzing the latest eVTOL aircraft configurations currently in production, offering an overview of their applications. Subsequently, we delve into key autonomous eVTOL aircraft technologies encompassing electric propulsion, flight control method, sensing & perception, decision-making, and safety & reliability, elucidating recent progress in each domain. Furthermore, we engage in a discourse on the regulatory and societal challenges, including a discussion on airworthiness regulations, that are pertinent to the integration and operation of autonomous eVTOL aircraft. Finally, we conclude by providing future trends and recommendations of autonomous eVTOL aircraft technology, focusing on its interaction with air traffic control system, the adaptation of urban infrastructure, and the design of efficient human-machine interaction protocols.
城市空中交通（UAT）涵盖私人飞机、空中出租车和特殊任务。这些任务包括空中观光、物流运输、应急响应和反恐行动。它们对先进空中 mobility（AAM）飞机提出了严格要求。这些要求包括高效悬停性能、高速巡航能力以及符合严格的安全和清洁能源标准。因此，AAM 的核心载具之一是高效可靠的电动垂直起降（eVTOL）飞机。因此，本文对 eVTOL 飞机的当前研究进行了综述，并突出了推动这一创新领域发展的潜在研究路径。我们首先对目前正在生产中的最新 eVTOL 飞机配置进行分类和分析，概述它们的应用。随后，我们深入探讨关键的自主 eVTOL 飞机技术，包括电力推进、飞行控制方法、传感与感知、决策以及安全与可靠性，阐明每个领域的最新进展。此外，我们讨论了与自主 eVTOL 飞机的集成和运营相关的监管和社会挑战，包括对适航法规的讨论。最后，我们通过提供自主 eVTOL 飞机技术的未来趋势和建议来得出结论，重点关注其与空中交通管制系统的交互、城市基础设施的适应性以及高效人机交互协议的设计。
