Smart glasses are appearing more and more in the technology world, and because of this it is no wonder that glasses for specific fields are also popping up. NASA has designed a new set if smart glasses specifically for pilots. This headset is designed to allow them to see through fog.
The glasses are an augmented reality device and include a display which projects an overlay of both the airport and the runway. They also include voice control and and head tracking features, which will definitely come in handy when pilots need to keep their hands on the controls.
The glasses were designed by the NASA Aviation Safety Program, specifically for use when the plane is coming in to land, because of the fact that most plane accidents occur at this point. The goal is to make the pilots more aware of their surroundings, which will in turn help reduce accidents or near-accidents.
While wearing the glasses, the pilot will be able to see a 3D overlay of objects such as the runway, airport, and nearby traffic. This overlay updates in real time to ensure that objects appear in the right position compared to the plane. The glasses also have a built in head tracker, which can detect when the pilot moves his or her head around to show objects on the side or front. Furthermore, information such as the speed of the plane are displayed on the glasses so that the pilot can keep his or her eye on the runway.
One of the great things about this headset is that it can be installed in a plane with almost no alteration to the planes cockpit. We should expect to see these glasses used more and more in the future, as well as in other fields, such as mining or construction.
