SESAR’s RETINA in use. The top-left image depicts what the wearer sees. (Screenshot from a Eurocontrol promotional video)
RETINA: Resilient Synthetic Vision for Advanced Control Tower Air Navigation Service Provision.
The letters don’t quite line up, but that is what Single European Sky ATM Research is calling its latest research project — a device that looks like a virtual reality headset, but is designed to aid sight and awareness for air traffic controllers.
The RETINA headset is transparent but uses HoloLenses and cameras to overlay information onto what the wearer is seeing. SESAR said that this heads-up access to information such as wind velocity and runway traffic can help air traffic controllers do their jobs, especially in low-visibility conditions like inclement weather.
Eurocontrol, Italian air navigation service ENAV and the University of Bologna validated the concept together in another round of tests last week in Italy.