SBIR PHASE III -- HEAD WORN DISPLAYS TO ENABLE EQUIVALENT VISUAL OPERATIONS 1. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND: 1…

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SBIR PHASE III -- HEAD WORN DISPLAYS TO ENABLE EQUIVALENT VISUAL OPERATIONS 1. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND: 1.1 EMERGING NEXT-GENERATION AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (NEXTGEN) OPERATING CONCEPTS ENVISION INCREASED GROUND-AIR COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING AND CLEARANCE NEGOTIATION, FLIGHT CREW RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELF-SEPARATION, AND PRECISION NAVIGATION. FURTHER, THE DISTRIBUTION AND INTEGRATION OF SENSOR AND TERRAIN DATABASE TECHNOLOGIES AND NETWORK-ENABLED INFORMATION ACCESS HAVE THE GOAL TO ALLOW SAFE EQUIVALENT VISUAL OPERATION (EVO) FLIGHT IN ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS WITHOUT VISUAL REFERENCES FOR THE FLIGHT CREW OR AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES PROVIDER. THESE ELEVATED TASK AND INFORMATION DEMANDS HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INFORMATION CONTENT AND FORMAT OF FLIGHT DECK DISPLAYS, AS WELL AS THE PHYSICAL DISPLAY MEDIA THEMSELVES. HEAD-WORN DISPLAY (HWD) TECHNOLOGY HAS SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES IN THIS APPLICATION FOR COST, COCKPIT SPACE CONSTRAINTS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR THIS EFFORT, FOR SPATIALLY-INTEGRATED DISPLAY OF FLIGHT INFORMATION WHICH MAY ENABLE SAFE FUTURE OPERATIONS. 1.2 HELMET-MOUNTED DISPLAYS (HMDS) AND HWDS ARE NOT NEW TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY FOR MILITARY OPERATIONS, BUT COMPONENT MINIATURIZATION AND MATURATION ARE JUST NOW PROGRESSING TO THE POINT WHERE HWDS CAN BE CONSIDERED IN COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS I.E., THE COSTS ARE REACHING AFFORDABLE AND COMPONENT SIZES ARE DRASTICALLY REDUCING. HOWEVER, MANY TECHNICAL ISSUES NEED TO BE OVERCOME BEFORE HWDS CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED INTO COMMERCIAL COCKPITS AND THOSE POTENTIAL BENEFITS CAN BE REALIZED. IN PARTICULAR, THEIR USE SHOULD BE AS UNOBTRUSIVE TO THE PILOT AS WEARING SUNGLASSES. 1.3 THE PRIMARY BENEFITS OF A HWD ARE OBTAINED BY COUPLING THE HWD OF INFORMATION TO A HEAD-TRACKER, THUS, PROVIDING VISUALLY-COUPLED INFORMATION. THIS CAPABILITY PROVIDES SPATIALLY-INTEGRATED DISPLAY CONCEPTS WHICH HAVE PREVIOUSLY SHOWN SUBSTANTIAL PERFORMANCE, WORKLOAD, AND SITUATION AWARENESS IMPROVEMENTS. ALSO, SPATIALLY-INTEGRATED DISPLAY CONCEPTS CREATE A LOW CLUTTER MEANS TO PRESENT VAST AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION TO THE USER.