November 8, 2018

Augmented Reality In Aviation

Augmented Reality In Aviation :

The Role Of Augmented Reality In Aviation

The world is changing. Technology is rapidly changing everyday. Augmented Reality is the next big thing which will change the face of aviation in coming few years. Using AR, real-time information is used in the form of text, images, and audio enhancements integrated with actual objects. From computers to personalized mobile devices, technology has greatly altered the way we communicate and engage. AR has reached a point where a modern organization can use it as an efficient tool to improve business processes, workflows, and employee workplace training. Technological innovations impact most of the industries, and aviation is no exception.

Leveraging AR Solutions In The Aviation Sector

Today most of the technologies are focused from healthcare applications to consumer markets, implementation of AR technology is also disrupting the conventional aviation landscape. The key utilization of Augmented Reality in aviation is its ability to overlay information at the point of need. It aids in visualizing navigation systems, air-traffic control, weather, terrain and airspace information in a 3D overlay, which is easy to understand and retain for long.

Here are few scenarios where Augmented Reality plays a major role in helping pilots:

When a pilot is getting ready to taxi the flight. The Head Mounted Display (HMD) based on AR technology creates a virtual checklist to help with pre-flight checks. Once the check is completed, the HMD depicts runway information and instructs the pilot towards their designated runway. The pilot can even receive alerts of other flights taking off, landing, or taxiing.
In the case of a pilot taking off or landing, AR technology overlays a corridor view to show the appropriate path. It is highly useful because landing and taking off are the riskiest parts of flying. As an aircraft gets closer to the ground, AR systems help to address emergencies, guiding pilots what needs to be done, mitigating the risks of takeoffs and landings.
AR is helpful with the cruise phase of airlines. Relevant information including the weather update, flight plans, waypoints, artificial horizons, and terrain details can be demonstrated to increase awareness. The display can be tailored as per pilot’s preferences, and modes can be turned off or on, leading to more accuracy and safety in the entire process.
Finally, an AR system can prove very handy during the cruise phase of the flight as well. Important information including artificial horizons, waypoints, weather updates, flight plans, restricted areas and terrain information can be displayed to provide complete situational awareness.
The display can be customized to a pilot’s preferences and modes can be turned on and off as well. It’s worth noting that a very high degree of precision is required to make this work and even the slightest different in overlay can have drastic (and potentially fatal) consequences.

Other Use Cases Of AR

The scope of AR is emerging in the field of maintenance repair and operations. Training a technician is a daunting as well as costly process. The trends of AR and VR are proving to be one of the best technologies used in the aviation sector. Virtual images of actual components are created so that technical staff can experience the real scenario in a safer environment. They take hands-on experience on virtual things and work in the same way as they would in the actual environment.

In the coming future, Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and automation will play a key role in improving the accessibility of relevant information and collaboration between the workforce. New airlines are embedded with automatic sensors that collect granular data. This data is used to analyze when maintenance tasks can be done, imparting assistance in the real time. So, future depicts that humans will majorly work in collaboration with machines to achieve profitable results in efficient ways. It is highly believed that automation is the future of general as well as military aviation. Sensor and autopilot technologies are driving this domain, ensuring to deliver a complete aerospace experience.

When it comes to using AR in the aerospace, the potential benefits are countless. AR applications help pilots, crew, and other staff members to avoid costly mistakes and make the right decisions to save lives. We have all entered a new era of technology and innovation. Modern customers seek for an immersive experience, and AR is perfectly used to engage them. It goes without saying that the improvements done for the operations and safety in this industry are worth your valuable time. In addition to aviation, the benefits of AR have proved to be game-changing for other industry verticals including military, healthcare, automobile, and others. Sooner or later, AR will become mainstream for modern organizations to completely transform the way workforce perform their jobs.

Virtual Reality (VR) is often associated with glasses that take you to a virtual world where your actual real movements are translated to the virtual world. On the other hand, perhaps even more relevant, Augmented Reality (AR) is more likely to penetrate the airline and airport space (click here to learn the difference between VR and AR).

The above image shows a hypothetical AR view of a passenger, where the view is enhanced with information (sensory input, static and dynamic information sources, location, object and context awareness) and functionalities (e.g. buying lounge access by looking at the lounge access button at the top right corner of the view, and blinking twice, which would act as a click of a mouse).