PITTSBURGH, June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy
percent of consumers say they are ready to fly in autonomous
aircraft in their lifetime according to a comprehensive global
consumer survey commissioned by ANSYS (NASDAQ: ANSS). Released
today, ANSYS' Global Autonomous Vehicle Study explores
consumers' comfort levels and concerns with self-flying
aircraft.
Aerospace manufacturers are under immense pressure to deliver
the next era of air travel. Proving autonomous aircraft is safe and
reliable is critical to securing public acceptance. ANSYS'
integrated simulation capabilities address all key elements of
autonomous planes, from sensors and software, to pilots' roles
in-flight and environmental factors — enabling industry leaders to
safely deliver groundbreaking innovations for the next generation
of aircraft.
Through the survey, ANSYS measured consumer sentiment
around the future of autonomous aircraft. Highlights of the survey
include:
- Timeline for Adoption: While 70% are ready to fly
in an autonomous plane in their lifetime, only 58% are willing to
board a self-flying plane in the next decade. Twelve percent insist
on waiting longer than 10 years.
- Consumer Fears: When asked to select their greatest
concerns with autonomous flights, respondents said they are most
concerned with technology failure (65%) and autopilot responding to
external conditions, such as bad weather and turbulence (57%).
- Traveler Confidence: Of those surveyed, 71% had no fears
about a safe take-off, and 76% were unconcerned with an autonomous
landing.
- Awareness of Autopilot: Only 7% realized the extent to
which planes are currently autonomous. When respondents were
informed that only the first and last 10 minutes of their most
recent flight were likely controlled by a pilot and the rest was
autonomous, 36% said that they would feel much safer in a fully
autonomous plane.
- Millennials Matter: Younger consumers are more willing
to fly autonomous; 83% of 18-24-year-olds are willing to fly in an
autonomous plane in their lifetimes, compared to just 45% of those
over 65.
- Safer Than a Bank
Account: Of those surveyed, 39% believe that an autonomous
plane is the hardest technology system to hack, compared to bank
accounts (27%), smartphones (17%), computers (14%) and self-driving
cars (12%).
- Commute of the Future: More than half of respondents
(63%) said they would definitely or probably be willing to ride in
a flying taxi.
"Autonomous aircraft are likely to enter service over the next
decade, targeting both intra-city and inter-city travel, primarily
used in air freight and air taxi business models. Further
automation in large commercial jets will be gradual, first starting
with single pilot operations, followed by fully autonomous
operations," said Priyanka
Chimakurthi, senior research analyst at Frost &
Sullivan. "Undoubtedly, automation will continue to transform air
transport, as it has done over the past few decades. However, it
will have to overcome numerous challenges, starting with passenger
perception, practical constraints as well as battery and propulsion
technologies."
"The findings of this research are encouraging for the entire
aerospace industry — people are ready for a new era of air travel,"
said Eric Bantegnie, vice president and general manager, ANSYS
systems business unit. "Digital safety solutions will play a major
role for manufactures meeting customer demand. Building on our
20-year history of providing world-class certified embedded
software critical for aircraft safety, ANSYS enables faster, more
effective testing and validation — empowering industry leaders to
bring autonomous aircraft to market faster and more safely."
Aerospace manufacturers must conduct comprehensive functional
safety testing and analysis to validate every system and component
of the plane. With ANSYS' simulation solutions, aerospace engineers
can identify every type and source of failure through hundreds of
millions of miles worth of simulated testing — enabling engineers
to address potential problems at the earliest stage of the system
architecture design and manufactures to accelerate time to
market.
To learn more about ANSYS solutions for the aerospace industry,
please visit www.ansys.com/A-D.
Survey Methodology:
ANSYS commissioned Atomik Research to field an online survey of
22,041 adults aged 18+ in 11 markets (the United Kingdom, United States, DACH, France, Italy, Spain,
Benelux, Sweden, Japan, China,
India). The research fieldwork
took place been April 26 and
May 7, 2019. In accordance with
Market Research Society guidelines and regulations, the margin of
error fell within +/-2% at a confidence level of 95%. Atomik
Research is an independent creative market research agency that
employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.
About ANSYS, Inc.
If you've ever seen a rocket launch, flown on an airplane,
driven a car, used a computer, touched a mobile device, crossed a
bridge or put on wearable technology, chances are you've used a
product where ANSYS software played a critical role in its
creation. ANSYS is the global leader in engineering
simulation. Through our strategy of Pervasive Engineering
Simulation, we help the world's most innovative companies deliver
radically better products to their customers. By offering the best
and broadest portfolio of engineering simulation software, we help
them solve the most complex design challenges and create products
limited only by imagination. Founded in 1970, ANSYS is
headquartered south of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Visit www.ansys.com for more
information.
ANSYS and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and
feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or
trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries.
ANSS-G
Contact
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Media
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Mary Kate
Joyce
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724.820.4368
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marykate.joyce@ansys.com
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Investors
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Annette N. Arribas,
IRC
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724.820.3700
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annette.arribas@ansys.com
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SOURCE ANSYS, Inc.