ANSYS' Global Autonomous Vehicle Study highlights consumer attitudes toward autonomous aircraft

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.

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