Since 2010, the two cousin sisters augmented reality, and virtual reality has attracted billions in investment from different venture capitalists. From improving, visualizing navigation system to air-traffic control, the technology is bringing a paradigm shift in the aviation sector. Today, industry giants such as Boeing, Airbus, and Applied Materials have developed both software and hardware solution for AR. And, the technology is disrupting the conventional landscape of the aviation sector and making this risky sector safer for both the employees and the end customers. A single error can lead to the deaths of many innocent people, and in aviation, there is always a scope for enhancing the safety. According to a survey, close to 85% of the aviation accidents occur due to the pilot’s error. AR can help fill the potholes and prevent air-disasters from taking place.
Here are a few ways in which the technology is helping the aviation sector.
1) Augmented reality and traffic visualization
Augmented reality has the power to bring visible changes in traffic visualization. While flying a plane, pilots can get a 360o degree view of statistics and virtual images of the nearby air traffic. It is helping the pilots keep an eye on the traffic and fly the aircraft safely. The use of AR in traffic visualization can prevent midair collisions, bird-hitting, and other similar scenarios to a great extent. Thanks to the technology, pilots can make the right decision and have a safe flight. Furthermore, before a pilot gets ready to fly an airplane, the AR display creates a virtual checklist to ensure nothing is missed out. And, once the check is over, the display guides the pilot to the designated runway. Furthermore, the pilot receives information about the other flights landing and taking off, which helps in creating safer flying conditions.
2) In aircraft maintenance
The application of AR in aircraft maintenance has come as a boon for the aviation sector because it increases the safety. The engineers can leverage the power of AR to inspect the inside and outside of the aircraft. The immersive technology provides real-time details and catches even the minutest errors in the airplane, which might be overlooked by a naked eye. Such comprehensive maintenance eliminates the scope of error and brings in safety to the flying operations. Also, the technology provides clear images of dents, scratches and other issues to the engineer. Augmented reality is reducing the load from the engineers because they can now focus on maintaining the aircraft instead of looking for potential faults.
3) In the cruise phase
Though the aviation sector has been a little slow in adoption of the technology, companies are now using it to the best possible use. Augmented reality comes handy during the cruise phase of the airlines. It displays relevant information such as weather information, flight plans, terrain details, artificial horizons, etc. to make the pilot aware of the possible flying conditions. It leads to more accuracy which further increases the safety of the passengers.
