NASA tests digital taxi guidance and runway-obstacle sensing for commercial aviation.

During tests at NASA's Ames Research Center, taxi instructions were delivered to cockpit displays or tablets while aircraft followed digital routes and sensors watched for vehicles or other aircraft blocking the path. A separate test flagged a vehicle on a runway as an aircraft prepared to land.

NASA says the work is intended to reduce verbal errors and workload while improving airport movement. Future tests will connect the sensor and taxi systems to a simulated air-traffic-control environment; the technology is still in evaluation rather than operational deployment.