Boeing to Utilize Blockchain Tech

Aerospace manufacturer Boeing Corporation is teaming up with artificial intelligence firm SparkCognition to track unmanned aircraft using blockchain technology. SparkCognition is an industrial analytics company that focuses on defense, cybersecurity and finance applications of AI, based in Austin, Texas. The company will use its technology in aircraft produced by Boeing in order to track and control drones and eVTOL (electrical vertical take-off and landing) aircraft, allowing for safer flights and more efficient logistical control.

The companies have a history together, as Boeing has previously invested in the AI firm through its HorizonX Ventures program, which seeks to invest in promising technologies and start-ups in the fields of AI, logistics, cyber-security and autonomous systems. The intended goal of the partnership is to provide a standardized interface to support safe and efficient package delivery through a cognitive analytics platform. To go along with the design of improved unmanned aircraft, AI controlled guidance and airspace coordination systems will be put in place to improve safety and efficiency.

Announced at the UK's Farnborough Air Show, the partnership seeks to become a leader in on-demand cargo transportation and urban air travel. The urban aerial mobility industry is estimated to be be a trillion+ dollar market, on which the companies hope to capitalize with a new venture called Boeing NeXt. NeXt will focus on developing autonomous flight and advanced propulsion technologies, though no details have emerged about what type of blockchain will be utilized. According to SparkCognition's recent tweet, "Boeing NeXt will look at how air, ground and sea transport interact and how future unmanned transport systems may be choreographed for optimal performance."

Boeing has already invested in similar technologies with Matternet, a drone logistics platform based in California that has already implemented autonomous drone deliveries of medical lab samples between hospitals in Switzerland.