Photo: Saab
When one thinks about flight simulators, especially for fighter aircraft, the first thing that comes to mind is a bulky dome that houses the mock cockpit and a flat-screen that projects 3D images when the trainee pilot wears 3D glasses. But there’s another way, and Swedish airplane manufacturer Saab seems to have found it.
One of the main products rolling off Saab’s lines presently is the Gripen. Introduced in 1996, the single-engine fighter is presently in the service of over 30 nations in under ten different variants. Before getting on board one, though, pilots have to fly it in the simulator.
This task will be getting increasingly easier thanks to a new human eye resolution mixed reality (XR) technology Saab will be integrating into the simulators for the E/F Gripen. Developed by Finnish company Varjo Technologies, the tech is described as having the “highest resolution and widest field of view in the industry.”
More to the point, the hardware comes in the form of virtual reality glasses with separate screens for each eye, instead of the single one used in domes. Each screen comes with a built-in 3D feature and allows for the wearer to see everything in the middle of the field of vision in ultra-high resolution, while peripheral vision comes with lower resolution.
That is done thanks to infrared LEDs that project patterns on the surface of the eye. Tracked by small cameras, these patterns allow for the image to be adapted to the eye's movement. This approach allows the system to operate without the help of a supercomputer, as all the computing power is focused on delivering great details only of the point the pilot’s eyes are trained on.
This setup lets the wearer read text and see even the smallest details of the simulated environment and should significantly increase the quality of training.
Saab did not say when its simulators for the Gripen will be fitted with the new tech.
This task will be getting increasingly easier thanks to a new human eye resolution mixed reality (XR) technology Saab will be integrating into the simulators for the E/F Gripen. Developed by Finnish company Varjo Technologies, the tech is described as having the “highest resolution and widest field of view in the industry.”
More to the point, the hardware comes in the form of virtual reality glasses with separate screens for each eye, instead of the single one used in domes. Each screen comes with a built-in 3D feature and allows for the wearer to see everything in the middle of the field of vision in ultra-high resolution, while peripheral vision comes with lower resolution.
That is done thanks to infrared LEDs that project patterns on the surface of the eye. Tracked by small cameras, these patterns allow for the image to be adapted to the eye's movement. This approach allows the system to operate without the help of a supercomputer, as all the computing power is focused on delivering great details only of the point the pilot’s eyes are trained on.
This setup lets the wearer read text and see even the smallest details of the simulated environment and should significantly increase the quality of training.
Saab did not say when its simulators for the Gripen will be fitted with the new tech.
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