Merlin And Quikjet To Collaborate On Unprecedented Research

In a first-of-its-kind research project, Merlin and Quikjet announced they will perform a collaborative study of Quikjet’s commercial cargo pilots to assess the correlation of pilot fatigue with in-flight performance. The study will examine how wellness factors affect performance to inform new standards for safety and efficiency in the aviation industry.

Merlin, a developer of autonomous fixed-wing flight technology, will also use the data to hone the design and development of its Merlin Pilot.

The study design will recruit a pool of Quikjet’s commercial cargo pilots as volunteers to wear WHOOP wearable physiological monitoring devices while in-flight to collect data on stress level, sleep quality, body temperature, heart rate, and other parameters. A modified psychomotor vigilance test evaluates a human’s ability sustain attention.

The combined data will yield a rich body of information on fatigue assessment to help create predictive models of pilot fatigue based on established flying schedules. The study also holds promise of yielding unique and potentially novel insights that may affect future considerations for pilot scheduling.

Matt George, Founder and CEO of Merlin said, “Merlin is committed to enhancing aviation safety, with a core focus of our work being to understand all facets of the pilot experience during flight operations, from crew workload to personal health impacts. The uniqueness of this study is that we are analyzing pilot fatigue both in and outside of flight operations, versus other studies done in simulated environments.

“This data provides us with a deeper, more accurate representation of pilot wellness in real-world conditions, which is pivotal to enhancing aviation safety. The study also supports our ongoing focus on human factors-driven innovation, where we’re continuously looking at how advanced automation can be a collaborative technology for pilots.”

FMI:  merlinlabs.com/