Flying safer

Software is being designed to predict pending failures, warn pilots, and maybe even fly the plane.

As the rapid increase in computing capabilities makes it possible to quickly compare and analyze data, safety engineers and others are focusing more on software to decrease the chance of accidents in the air and on the ground. Prognostics are making big inroads, and developers plan to let the computer take over flight in some instances.

All these capabilities are becoming possible because of the dramatic leaps in semiconductors and other electronic technologies. As computing power continues doubling to reach unprecedented levels, programmers are able to do more in real time, more fully making use of input from sensors located throughout the plane.