Control mechanisms in a virtual cockpit

DERA research into the virtual cockpit was stimulated by a variety of operational concerns, including the increased complexity of air missions, the need for flexible deployment, the need to operate in all visibility conditions and the potential exposure to optical weapons. Helmet-mounted sights, in which the weapon is aimed using head direction, have already shown great potential. The virtual cockpit extends this concept to provide all necessary visual information on a helmet-mounted display: a sensor and/or computer generated external scene, navigational and tactical data superimposed on the outside scene, and cockpit-stabilised virtual panels showing aircraft systems information and tactical overviews. The visual information could be supplemented by a 3D sound system, which could be used to give directional audio cues or to give a spatial location to synthetic sounds within and external to the cockpit.