Real-Time Google Glass Heads-Up Display for Rapid Air-Traffic Detection

As airspace becomes increasingly crowded, the need for next-generation traffic-advisory systems for pilots has become more crucial. To this end, a heads-up advisory display is developed within the Google Glass platform to assist pilots in the rapid location and identification of air traffic in their vicinity. The display is conceived as a proposed addition to existing traffic collision advisory systems, and the research seeks to determine if such assistive technology provides advantages in better detecting surrounding air traffic and reducing the risk of a collision. The display features a dynamically updating three-dimensional arrow that continuously guides the pilot's eye toward oncoming traffic. The arrow updates its orientation in real time based on the relative head motion of the pilot, the motion of the pilot's aircraft, and the location of the oncoming traffic. Pilot-in-the-loop testing and simulation runs are conducted to gauge the response times of participants tasked with visually acquiring intruding traffic. The results from testing show a significant improvement with the use of the assistive technology, with response-time reductions of over 60% observed in certain cases, notably in conditions in which traffic approaches from peripheral angles and when contaminated against the backdrop of ground clutter.