Tactile Torso Display Supports Helicopter Landing in Low-Visibility Conditions

摘要

Helicopter landings are jeopardized in ‘brownout’conditions, in which sand or dust is stirred up by the rotor downwash, obscuring cockpit visibility. This paper describes the results of a flight test to investigate whether a “tactile display” can support the pilot in low-visibility landings. A tactile display relays information to the skin by means of an array of small vibrating elements, or “tactors”. Method: Two flight parameters were considered relevant for the landing of a transport helicopter: the ground speed vector (direction and speed), and height-above-terrain. The tactile display used in the flight test consisted of a horizontal belt with 31 tactors, covering the frontal 180 eg of the pilot’s abdomen, to present ground speed. Height- above-terrain was presented on a vertical band placed on the pilot’s back, and consisting 20 tactors. The flight trials used a Cougar helicopter. Brown-out like conditions were simulated by placing complementary colored sheets on the helicopter’s canopy and the pilot’s visor. Results: n brownout-like conditions, the landing maneuver was performed faster, more accurate, better controlled, and with less mental effort when altitude and/or groundspeed information was presented on the tactile display. Adequate performance criteria were only met when the test pilot was using the tactile display. Conclusion: A tactile landing aid may mprove flight safety in brown-out situations, or low- visibility conditions in general. The landing maneuver can be performed quicker and more accurate with tactile feedback than in the condition without tactile feedback.