Three-dimensional sound as wellas imagery from head-mounted synthetic vision systems and greater cockpit automation could be the outcome of the European Union’s four-year €28 million ($34.5 million) Sixth Framework, Human Integration into the Lifecycle of Aviation Systems (HILAS) project.
The hardware and software that could reduce a pilot’s workload is to be produced by the middle of next year. While some of the technology will be new, HILAS will also test existing display and vision systems.
“The technologies are all targeted at reducing workload and increasing safety,” says UK company Smiths Aerospace’s new product development manager, Andrew Harwood.
“Certainly we’re looking at synthetic vision and head-up, but not HUD, rather head-mounted [systems]. There will be 3D sound as well as vision,” he says.
The study will also include work with flight simulators to examine how information is presented to the pilots.
This will follow-on from current work involving interviews with pilots and cabin crew.
Irish company Aircraft Management Technologies is leading the €6 million ($7.39 million) flight operations strand, which began with a meeting at Reading-based Rockwell Collins UK. The company is one of the flight operations strand’s 15 partners (Flight International, 30 August–5 September).
The project has 40 partners from all over Europe and started in June with a kick-off meeting hosted by the project co-ordinator Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, on 15-16 June.
HILAS contains four parallel strands of work. They are the integration and management of human factors knowledge; flight operations environment and performance; evaluation of new flightdeck technologies, and monitoring and assessment of maintenance operations.
ROB COPPINGER/LONDON
Source: Flight International
