World's first: HUD for the RC pilot.
 

Dear all.

This is a thread to introduced our latest development in cooperation with Recon Instruments and Weatronic: the Jet device for pilots.

The concept is based on NCFD devices and was explained in an article I posted a couple of months ago on my tech blog;

http://www.ultimate-jets.net/blogs/r...control-flying


1. Background

Up to now, we have been focusing on audio feedback for telemetry data return to the pilot.
however it is very well known that in case of high cognitive workload/ stressful environment, hearing is the first sense to disappear.
While flying fast RC jets, it is not uncommon to completely miss audio information from the telemetry system while performing a complicated aerobatic maneuver, or while flying very close to the ground at high speed.
The visual feedback is essential to the pilots as this is the last sense to disappear in high workload/ stress condition. But there is a big obstacle for RC pilot: we need to see what's going on in the sky and we often cannot afford to look down at parameters and loose the sighting of a fast flying tiny aeroplane.
Dual screen configurations are nice and offer un-matched comfort and flexibility in programming, but they are very limited in terms of telemetry ergonomics, because they are head down type. Giving the second screen to your spotter is a very nice solution but it does not answer the request for having a direct feedback to the pilot. Additionally, spotters might also face the challenge of having to both look at your plane and the display.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...49809453994068

So the next step is to offer visual feedback close to the central vision field of the pilot.

2. Full size aviation solution

Full size aviation call this HUD or Head Up Display. A collimated transparent screen display information laid down in front of the pilot's windscreen.
We have conducted numerous ergonomics studies with look through HUD system. The main drawback of this system is that the information is presented right in the center of the eye vision field.
Our flying objects are often tiny and right in the center of the vision field, where our eye display the highest definition. A few pixels in front of a tiny black dot will completely obliterate the vision of it and specially the contrast and shades that enable us to see if the plane is banking right or left at a distance.

3. Eye vision field and ergonomics

Our visual field is not uniform and vision definition fades away rapidly from median line of the retina that represents the line-of-sight.
Below is a diagram in 3D showing how fast the vision definition fades away as objects are displaced from this line that ends up at the point-of-fixation.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...57505023979215

A projected view of our visual field accuracy would look like this:

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...09649528454052

The center field is this "island of high definition" that is shown above. It is generally extending from 24 to 30 degrees around the point of fixation.
It extends a bit further on the outer lower corner of each field. This is where we would place a display at best for our RC flying use.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...33677877578992

Why below and not above like real size HUD?
We, RC pilots need to see what's happening in the sky, whereas full size pilots need to see what's going on down in the flight deck on their instruments. Our "not-so-vital" zone of vision is the ground area. For real size pilots it is more in the top corner of the sky.

4. Our solution, the NCFD

So we decided to implement a specific solution for those who need to focus on the sky and acquire information on the ground.
We developed and tested alternative solutions specifically designed for hobby and UAV pilot. These are called Near Center Field Displays.

Here is an example of what a NCFD does look like while flying a remote control airplane.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...49809453994068

The ground area is usually darker and fairly meaningless in terms of orientation feedback to the brain. As long as the horizon is available, our brain can analyze a fast moving object very fast. Additionally it is usually darker, which is perfect to display LCD generated information that cannot be too bright. The display being very small and less than 1 inch away from the eye, very bright information is not possible.

5. Device choice and features

The first task for us was to select a device that was mature enough to offer us a good base to study the ergonomics of NCFD. We selected the Recon Instruments Jet device.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...20244330926287

This is a high level standalone device that is embedded in a pair of sun glasses. The device features a small LCD screen placed in the lower right corner of the vision field. Te screen resolution is 420 by 820 pixels and is enough to generate readable data. It wirelessly connects to the Weatronic BAT 60 or BAt 64 or the DV4 BT module.
The screen is collimated at about 3 meters away from the viewer and requires minimal eye adaptation to de-focus to the background after having acquired flight information on the display.
We had the device tested by modelers and pilots of age 65 and they did not complain about eye adaptation or difficulty in reading the screen without reading glasses.


The device is already functional with the DV4 BT antenna module and the BAT60 BT connectivity that is going to be released with firmware 6.06 very soon.
The current BAT 60 can display data pages via an Ad-Hoc connection on Wifi.

We found out that the optimum number of data to be displayed for quick visual adpatation and analysis must be limited to 3.
The data is showed as below:

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...27783350850725

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...33156601279293

We have developed a custom app outside of the SDK capability offered by Recon instruments.
This app lets you choose between 3 data to be displayed on the screen.
We suggest that the main data must be the pitot speed. Secondary can be engine related like pump voltage and GPS related like altitude.

I need to forward a big thank you to our partner Oistein for the development work he has put on the app.

Note that all the fitness related features, apps and community developments are still available on the Jets for pilots.

6. Field tests and prospect


The device offers a significant help in getting data from the plane. Switching from the model to the screen is easy and becomes very quickly intuitive.
Most pilots who tested the device got used to it within the frame of the first flight. So we consider that the average adaptation time is about 6 minutes.
This type of device is very high tech and very helpful to the pilot.

The Recon Jet is a very high level instrument that includes a camera, GPS, accelerometers, ANT +, BT and Wifi connectivity, touch pad and speaker...

The product page can be found here:
http://www.ultimate-jets.net/collect...field-displays

We are going to showcase this product at Jets Over Kentucky and will get pilots to wear the glasses while Woody flies his Tiger Meet Scorpion Mk II during the event.

I would be first in line if I could get to Kentucky Jets!!!!!!

Or just get a Jeti DC-16 Radio and have the screen in the right place for easy reference. Still amazes me that they are the only ones so far to put the screen in the place it should have been all along. Works perfectly for quick glances at the telemetry

Looks great. Good luck on this amazing idea.

there's some unnessesary info .... numbers teke too long to compute.

info needed in my opinion:

battery status: green, yellow, red
Fuel quantity : green, yelow, red
engine run status : green, yellow, red
Tx/Rx status : green ,yellow, red.

Second : The info screen should be transparent and at a highier position in your vision.

The user can chose among a list of more than 20 parameters what information to display and type of display: numerical/ bar graph.
Our field tests have shown that 3 data fields are the maximum with one main area and two sub scales. More than this is too much information for fast data processing.

We have evaluated the Google glass for pilots application and it is completely unusable.
The info screen is not transparent but a blurred prism like. The center vision zone being offset into the upper sky ( flying your plane ), it actually gets completely obstructed by this blurred area and when the plane goes in there it gets quite scary.

Colimated HUD use prism technology. It is easy to give a completely crisp see through picture when the prism is placed 1 meter or more in front of the eye. However it is technically extremely challenging to achieve clarity when the prism is placed 0.8 cm in front of the eye. We are talking about nano polishing process at over 10,000 USD per screen.

Even the Google glass with its semi translucent display was way too expensive for the hobby pilot at 2500 USD per piece.

They are not the only ones.

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...26319668303533

http://www.ultimate-jets.net/collect...64-transmitter

The BAT 64 is my every day transmitter. Amazing radio, amazing screen. However I do not consider this screen as being useable while flying more than 10% of the time. That is when I am at average height, not too far and not too fast.

Try to have a quick glance at your screen while doing a knife edge pass 3 feet above the ground.

I can't wait to break out my old flight suit when I go flying. LoL. Yes it still fits thanks to Velcro Gut extenders.

seriously, this looks fun. Any other pix of the glasse?

Hey I bet I could actually use this, when I fly the Apache I use a similar thing to fly so this would feel right at home for me!

The ability to have flight data in your eye and be able to train your eye to look through it when needed and to prevent your other eye from trying to dominate is fun training. I LOVE day 1 bag flights for new pilots hehe

Sure;

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...g?v=1433166326

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...g?v=1433166327

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...g?v=1433166329

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...g?v=1433166330

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/015...g?v=1433166331

It is a ver neat product that includes a 720p camera, speaker, BlueThoot, Wifi, Ant+, GPS and runs on Android.

Yes, MIL helicopter pilots will feel at home with it.

Hi Oli,

Great work you are doing here.
Telemetry on a screen is pretty much useless when you are flying. HUD on glasses will be the future.

Paul.

NIce, but still waiting for the 256 channel transmitter with mental telemetry and pre-cog malfunction warning system...


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2099849

Technology keeps marching forward but what happens when it fails? Have we reached the point were the machine has replaced the pilot.

I want a FPV system for flying a jet with a HUD. With that I would like to see an emergency switch that you can see on other airplanes now that homes in on a GPS signal and brings the jet back if you get it past viewing range or simply loose it in the sun or something. LOL, am I asking for too much?

For those of us that wear glasses for distance viewing, do you know if there will be prescription options for the regular lenses?

Interesting technology........


Thanks,
Lance

Great point Lance.

Oli il what kind of time frame is projected for availability? Any issues with head /neck strain?

And any plan for ASSI integration?

Wow, NASA, the Army and Air Force have put tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of hours into studying information overload for pilots under stress and you have refuted that work with your toy system. I applaud you.
Some thngs to think about: As pointed out by someone else colors, not black and white text, provides instantaneous interpretation of the data. Second, the information displayed depends on the flight condition the aircrat is in. Airspeed is important in landing but not in normal flight. Third, moving your eye to "read" that information is nearly as bad as moving your head - your still taken away from your primary focus. Lastly, and most importantly, a weekend jet pilot will be much more confused by nuerous visual cues, even simple colors, than a professional military pilot. Yet that military pilot still reponds faster and more accurately to voice warnings than the visual warnings. I can just see the RC jet pilot who is trying to figure out if his numerical airspeed is approaching stall while on approach and misses the guy next to him calling for an emergency landing.

I do not refute anything from any NASA or DoD studies. Come to Jets over Kentucky and try it by yourself to see if you like it or not. It is a simple as this.

Availability is immediate. We have 3 in stock and are waiting for a bigger stock order from Recon.
The weight of the device is very moderate and does not induce any annoyance. In fact you forget it after 5 minutes. Not more neck/ head strain than wearing regular sun glasses.

Yes. In progress. We need to find a way to connect the Recon app to IGS via BlueTooth.
Once this is possible, we will implement a maximum angle of attack/ minimum speed/ fuel level icons and most certainly voice warnings directly into the glass.

Actually, you're not. We are working on RNAV guidance capability for the next ASSI generation.

But this has nothing to do with the glass device/ display.

The Recon Jet is not really compatible with those people for the time being.