Pocket-size augmented reality system for flight control

Head-up displays (HUDs) have become common equipment in aircraft cockpits. One of the uses of HUDs is to provide a specific visual interface for pilots in the form of what is called a "tunnel-in-the-sky" (i.e. 3D geometry for the navigation path displayed on a flat screen). According to recent studies the "tunnel-in-the-sky" approach does not provide crucial advantages in comparison with more traditional methods of presenting navigation information to pilots. Our research considers a stereoscopic version of the 3D "tunnel-in-the-sky" realized as an augmented reality (AR) pocket-size system with see-through light-weight AR glasses. The system consists of low-cost items and does not suffer from the drawbacks tied with existing synthetic/enhanced vision systems for pilots. The results of the experiments with desktop simulators of different AR pilot\´s interfaces (2D, 3D and stereo 3D conditions) proved the effectiveness of the proposed stereo AR solution. A flight test of the prototype of the developed AR system was carried out on Cessna 172 aircraft and is showed in the accompanying video.