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| SMI Eye Tracking Glasses Gaze and Motion. Photo: SMI |
[Avionics Today 04-25-2016] SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) is partnering with Lufthansa Systems to combine its eye tracking with the NetLine/Ops ++ airline operations control solution. The collaboration will allow Lufthansa Systems’ customer airlines to measure and enhance the effectiveness of their on-screen alerts which pre-empt costly disruptions. These include weather alerts, air traffic control issues and pending missed connections.
SMI’s screen-based remote eye tracking will be used to determine when and if these alerts are seen. If there has been no gaze fixation by the operator in an acceptable time frame, additional warnings will be generated in the form of a sound or a vibration on a wearable device.
Longer term, the accumulated eye tracking data will help improve the effectiveness of next generation operations control systems.
Lufthansa Systems Senior Product Manager, Operations Control IT Solutions, Daniel Stecher, said eye tracking was a logical innovation, given how busy airline operations have become. A single operator might have to manage 50-60 flights at a time so the potential for costly disruptions is ever-present.
“In total, disruptions cost the world’s airlines $26 billion per year. A first step in reducing this amount, airline-by-airline is to ensure the operator sitting in front of those busy screens sees key alerts,” he said.