We are excited to announce that the RESPONSE project team has published a new scientific paper in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series by Springer. Presented in the context of the HCII 2025 conference, the work titled “Safe Return-to-Land Operations in Future Cockpits: An Analysis of Cases and Mitigation Technologies” offers a critical look at safety mechanisms for next-generation aviation.

As air travel grows, increasing demand for pilots and ATC operators requires greater automation. Autonomous systems can help manage traffic, reduce crew sizes, and enable a transition from dual pilot operations to reduced crew, single pilot, or full autonomy. A major challenge is ensuring effective human-autonomy teaming.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of:

• the transition from current dual-pilot operations to future autonomous paradigms;

• specific use cases involving partial and full pilot incapacitation;

• key mitigation technologies designed to guarantee a Safe Return-to-Land even in emergency scenarios.

This study is a core component of the RESPONSE mission. By investigating Human-Autonomy Teaming and cognitive assessment methods, the paper reinforces our efforts to develop systems that can effectively monitor pilot states and manage air-ground integration. It lays the theoretical groundwork for the solutions we are developing to support pilots and ensure continuous safety.

Read the full abstract and access the chapter on Springer Nature or download it from our Resources section