AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

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alexvinckier
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AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by alexvinckier » Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:43 pm

--- Watch Video : https://youtu.be/bkq-VtGIdbM

One day I read an entry on the condor forum about extending the autopilot. This triggered my interest to give it a try.

I wondered what such a development would be. Besides, I drive Tesla, and in intrigues me how they develop such an autopilot. Here, I saw a nice project to execute. And I started somewhere in the summer of 2020. Anyway, due to my professional duties, the development was sporadic. But this was a good thing. In projects like these, it are not the number of lines coded per day that count, but the creations of concepts and solutions to tackle each issue one by one, over and over again.

Namely, communicating with the game, controlling the controls, analyzing the flight mechanics, figuring out the determine a flight path, finding and staying in lifting air, what are optimal speeds, how to recognize the landscape for potential updrafts etc and etc.
Concepts of AI and machine learning helped greatly, but one has to deal with constraints of sampling, executing reference flights etc.
I will present by the end of 2021 more insight how I have solved it. But not in too much details, as I want other enthusiast to let some challenging fun.

After several months I started to have first successes, I could stay in the air. But crashes were plenty. Over time crashes got reduced and average speed increased and ranges of 500 to 2500km could be covered, as seen in the picture. You can identify that the performance increased over (development) time. Note that at the start of first real flights, the incidence of crashes were very high. Improving crash avoidance resulted in lower average speeds.

The autopilot not only controls the glider in the most aerodynamical manner. But the autopilot calculated and optimizes continuously the path to follow. I only need to give the turnpoints (which are read from the flightplan-file. The rest is up to the algorithm, no human interference needed at all. Except for take off, I need to start as “airborn”. Landing is also done fully automatically. The application controls the stick, rudder, flaps, brakes and water.

In the application screenshot one can see the artificial horizon, which includes data of vario, altitude, speed, heading, turn-point and a terrain scan. Left/under a top-view displaying vario tracking and wind relative to plane. Right top some text window for debug purposes. Right-most top an overview map of the complete task. Right – bottom a detailed google map of plane position, realtime optimal trajectory, indication of locations for favorable lift (red-isch) . Middle-bottom, display of a google-map photo of something in the area (nice sightseeing!)

Since a few weeks the application become sufficiently robust to try a 8000km/40hour flight, night flying included. And it succeeded.
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k6chris
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by k6chris » Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:59 pm

Brilliant! How does the AI create a map of the terrain? Visual or from Condor files?

Chris

alexvinckier
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by alexvinckier » Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:16 pm

Hi Chris,

I am using the terrain data of condor. But I alter them to take the lee side in consideration. In fact you can consider that i look at the laminar air layer (approximated). Pay attention in the video where it flyes through the Bernina pass, left side is slightly lee side, it shows higher.

Visuals are for version 2. I just started on it. Goal is to be able to follow a tow plane. Better landing strip recognition and cloud positions.

Version 3 will be to be able to compete in competitions. But I will only do this if it can be done transparently, hence only competitions where the players accept to challenge an AI player.

I hope to “land” with version 2 around christmass

Alex

6266
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by 6266 » Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:30 pm

That's very interesting and surely a very good job.

The main question is, how can Condor prevent using such automatics in a competition? I think using of todays autopilot in Condor already is cheating (there is minimum one thread about that in the forum). To use such an autopilot in a competition is the end of real competitions in Condor. I wouldn't like to fly against a software.

The ranking list in CC is dead already now with such flights ...

While writing this comes the announcement to do it in competitions. Don't kill Condor! Devs you are challenged to do something effective with that ...
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6266
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by 6266 » Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:40 pm

alexvinckier wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:16 pm
But I will only do this if it can be done transparently, hence only competitions where the players accept to challenge an AI player.
I will NEVER accept this in a serious competition. You killed my day, sorry, it's the worst news since I use Condor, now nearly exactly one year. Perfect timing the week before the FAI Grand Prix, destroys everything ...


Let the computers play the games, coming back to the real life is maybe the best option, unfortunately for me without flying ...


Sorry, can't write it more friendly
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Bre901
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by Bre901 » Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:29 pm

It's probably an achievement seen from the AI development side, but I really don't see what it can bring for the Condor pilots community.

As mentioned by 6266, the CC ranking is dead.

As far as I'm concerned I'll quit flying online comps if AI is allowed
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by 6266 » Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:50 pm

The problem is, that you can't do anything against that. How will Condor see, if a joystick-signal comes from a machine or a person?
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by wickid » Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:22 am

While I find this development very impressive, this should stay very very far away from any rankings/competitions.

Please never release this as a tool or upload your flights to any rankings...
PH-1504, KOE


6266
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by 6266 » Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:05 am

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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by wickid » Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:21 am

Maybe he can remove these flights from CC or BOD1 can do this. It is obviously unfair as the ability to fly at night is not possible with a human pilot.
PH-1504, KOE

alexvinckier
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by alexvinckier » Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:37 am

It is in discussion to remove those flights. Or move it to a special category.

I understand the commotion, and indeed there needs to be a fair playing field.

Anyway, i believe it is an achievement worth sharing. And I hope I can continue sharing it.
But the sharing must indeed be done without disturbing the competitive part of the condor community.

One note, I will never share this app, as i would have issues with royalties. But I am more than willing to demo it at certain events

6266
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by 6266 » Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:42 am

Thanks for your understanding
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by EDB » Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:43 am

wickid wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:21 am
It is obviously unfair as the ability to fly at night is not possible with a human pilot.
Well, it is possible. On 10 and 11 July 1937, J.K. Hoekstra set the current Dutch endurance record of 24 hours and 3 minutes.
His avarage altitude was 30 meters...

But it is illegal with the current flight rules...

And as far as I know there is also a longer (Swiss?) world record... Too lazy to search for it now...

This Condor record is indeed a great AI achievement... With the understandable concerns of the Condor Competition Community...
Last edited by EDB on Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

6266
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Re: AI Autopilot makes a 8000km 38hour flight possible

Post by 6266 » Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:47 am

EDB wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:43 am
wickid wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:21 am
It is obviously unfair as the ability to fly at night is not possible with a human pilot.
Well, it is possible. On 10 and 11 July 1937, J.K. Hoekstra set the current Dutch endurance record of 24 hours and 3 minutes.
His avarage altitude was 30 meters... But it is illegal with the current flight rules...

And as far as I know there is also a higher world record... Too lazy to search for it now...
Ernst Jachtmann, nearly 56 hours, 1943

https://second.wiki/wiki/ernst_jachtmann
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