CHARLES RIVER ANALYTICS, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: Although Navy MH-60R/S SEAHAWK helicopters have long played a critical role in military op

Description

Although Navy MH-60R/S SEAHAWK helicopters have long played a critical role in military operations, degraded visual environments continue to plague landing safety. Current heads-down displays do not address pilots"need to continuously perceive and respond to a rich set of external visual cues during shipboard landings (e.g., proximity, orientation, relative motion). To address this, we propose to leverage established Ecological Interface Design (EID) theory to design, demonstrate, and evaluate concepts for Helicopter Aiding for Zero-Zero Landings with Advanced, Reactive Displays (HAZZARD). We will design a simple, abstract display symbology that uses emergent visual cues to support pilots"direct and intuitive perception of aircraft status within the context of physical and safety constraints. We will augment this display symbology with reactive feedback from an automated flight director to guide the pilot into a landing maneuver synchronized with ship motion. The flight director will incorporate detailed models of: (1) the MH-60 platform and control systems; (2) flight-deck motion in varying sea-states; and (3) environmental effects, including turbulent wind gusts. Finally, we will construct and evaluate working prototypes of promising HAZZARD symbology and flight director designs through a series of evolutionary prototypes, and identify a low-risk pathway for flight-test demonstrations under Phase II.