DANTi: A Tool for Assistive Detect and Avoid Research

This paper presents DANTi, a research tool that supports the development of Assistive Detect and Avoid (ADAA) for General Aviation. ADAA is a future on-board aircraft technology intended to augment the pilots' see-and-avoid capabilities by helping them identify and resolve traffic conflicts earlier and more efficiently. DANTi includes a realistic Electronic Flight Bag display, which provides alerts and maneuver guidance using a highly-configurable detect and avoid (DAA) library, and a fast-time simulation environment that can be fully customized to meet different research requirements. As part of NASA research efforts, DANTi is used in the Air Mobility Pathfinders project on future air transportation systems and in a joint NASA/FAA Laboratory Integrated Test Environment (NFLITE) on next-generation airspace operations in urban environments. These efforts investigate ADAA requirements in advanced urban air mobility settings where new aircraft types, new services, and new traffic patterns will be integrated in an overall crowded airspace. This paper describes the design and capabilities of DANTi, as well as use cases demonstrating some of the current research activities enabled by the tool. DANTi is freely available under NASA's Open Source Agreement.