At CES 2020, Bell revealed AerOS, a digital mobility platform that will give operators a 360° view into their aircraft fleet. By leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence and IoT, AerOS provides powerful capabilities like fleet master scheduling and real-time aircraft monitoring, enhancing Bell’s Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) experience.

Teaming up with Microsoft

As a technology company with 85 years of innovation in aircraft design, manufacturing and certification, Bell tackles complex problems using novel approaches. In building AerOS, Bell chose Microsoft’s Azure cloud as the foundation and teamed up with Microsoft’s engineers to gain architectural insight, developer support and best practices.

Impacting the Urban Air Mobility Network

Connected fleet management is a critical enabler in the urban air mobility (UAM) landscape. AerOS is designed to integrate seamlessly into fleet operations; it is a flexible platform that can be tailored to customer requirements. With an extensible API, developers can take advantage of AerOS services like vehicle management, fleet scheduling and real-time telemetry in their applications. “AerOS helps maximize aircraft utility, which is a critical driver for the success of UAM,” said Grant Bristow, Technical Lead, Bell. As a technology company redefining flight, Bell wants to consider the entire mobility ecosystem, and AerOS gives Bell a strong platform to build digital capabilities that create a powerful MaaS offering.

Integrating into Smart Cities

As cities around the world struggle with reducing urban congestion, Bell is looking toward the skies. In the future, aircraft like Nexus and APT will be a part of everyday life in cities. With AerOS, operators and municipal leaders will have complete control of their fleets as they transport people, goods and information. “AerOS enables our aircraft to interact with the ecosystem and connects us to the vertical dimension,” said Matt Holvey, Manager Intelligent Systems, Bell. As cities grow smarter, AerOS will be ready to unlock Bell’s mobility experience. “With this platform, Bell is committed to going beyond the aircraft and offering a superior, holistic experience to advance the mobility ecosystem,” said Naveed Siddiqui, Technology Partner, Bell.