Rotorcraft
French Researchers Mull Force Feedback, Augmented Vision for Commercial Helo Pilots

Eurocopter and French aerospace research center Onera are jointly investigating how augmented reality, for the senses of vision and touch, could benefit helicopter pilots in the future. The two organizations are developing an advanced flight simulator, also known as a “neuro-ergonomic” platform, initially aimed at finding ways to avoid obstacles and terrain.

Fly-by-wire controls–predicted to make their way into civil helicopters after a few enter service in the military–are opening new possibilities. One of them is force-feedback in sidesticks to reduce the mental processing a graphical depiction of the situation or an aural alarm requires. “Giving the pilot haptic information frees up some cognitive resources to manage the mission,” Jean-Christophe Sarrazin, an Onera neuroscience researcher and specialist in human-system interface, told AIN.

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