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The cockpit of the future by ThalesInnovation for future civil and military avionics platforms

The cockpit will be a key factor shaping the aircraft of the future. In an increasinglycomplex environment, the cockpit must be engineered to be more user-friendly andgive pilots the information they need to do their job. Thales is working on a new-generation cockpit incorporating the very latest market trends and evolutions in theaviation sector for fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

The Cockpit 3.0 must be ready to face different kinds of challenges. Among these arethe growing complexity of the operating environment and avionics systems, andcontinuing efforts to make the cockpit safer and smaller. Current-generation cockpitsare not designed for such challenges: crews are expected to acquire an increasingset of skillswhich means more trainingand many complex functions remainunused, making the pilot the weak link in the system. At Thales, we believe on thecontrary that the cockpit should be crew-centric: no longer confined to tasks thatautomatic systems are incapable of performing, the crew will be at the heart of asystem designed to leverage their strengths (creativity, initiative, insight and logic)and help manage their weaker points (physical and cognitive aspects).

Odicis - an innovative cockpit concept

Odicis (One DIsplay for a Cockpit Interactive Solution) is a touchscreen-baseddisplay system concept enabling information to be presented in new ways in all typesof aircraft.

Adaptable to both civil and military aircraft, as wellas to helicopters, Odicis can be configured toprovide more freedom in how the display spaceand touchscreen surface are used.Drawing on research work undertaken for theCockpit 3.0 initiative, Odicis is a crew-centricsystem able to keep the entire display area onscreen even after a series of malfunctions.

Odiciss touchscreen capability makes it possibleto explore simpler human-system interfaces that allow the pilot to focus fully on thejob of flying the aircraft.The innovations featured in Odicis are designed chiefly to improve the crew-systeminterface, notably by offering the pilot very flexible configurations, a simpler

presentation of system procedures (flight warnings and alarms, system pages,checklists, etc.), decision support and new means of interaction. All of these

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elements underpin a philosophy geared towards the crews needs rather than

dividing the cockpit into different screens and controls.

The innovations in Odicis also address emerging requirements dictated by the majorSESAR/NextGen and Clean Sky programmes. Future functions mandated by theseprogrammes will require new information to be displayed (i4D, ADS-B), therebyincreasing the amount of data the crew has to handle. Odicis merges mission dataand shows them in simpler fashion on a larger and more legible display area to easethe workload and complexity.

At the present stage of research, Odicis is supporting efforts to demonstrate theoperational advantages of a single screen, explore the product technologies needed

to achieve it, validate its feasibility, identify its limits and look into systemarchitectures able to accommodate the required level of dependability. This cockpitshould be operational by 2025.

Thales is focusing its efforts on 3 areas:

Designing interfaces that adapt to the operator rather than expecting theoperator to adapt to the system, capable of providing the crew with the toolsand information they need not only to perform tasks at hand but also toanticipate tasks ahead. Other systems may monitor pilots, warning them for

example if any signs of tiredness or a lapse in concentration are detected.

Handling and hiding complexity, throughintuitive interfacesthat mimic the crews modesof reasoning and perception. For example, inpoor visibility conditions pilots will have asynthetic view on the windshield or projected onthe visor of a helmet replacing the reallandscape they would see in normal weatherconditions; or in the event of a malfunction,decision-support tools will focus on pilot tasks

rather than providing detailed engineer-centricviews of the system architecture.

Supporting new forms of interaction. Today, the conventionalscreen/keyboard/mouse model is increasingly giving way to new modes ofinteraction encouraged by new personal devices like the iPad. We thereforeneed to assess how we can leverage such innovationstouchscreens, 3Ddisplays, gesture recognition, augmented reality and so oneffectively in thecockpit to achieve real gains in the degree of interaction with avionicssystems.

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Thaless vision of the Cockpit 3.0 could therefore feature a permanent colour head-up

display (HUD), a single touchscreen (possibly 3D), voice or gesture recognition andmaybe physiological sensors able to monitor crew status. In short, a product that issafer, smaller and easier to use.

To translate this vision into reality, Thales is working with pilots to test the cockpitenvironment and system usability and with key customers like Airbus, Eurocopter andDassault, as well as with partner university research laboratories and innovativeSMEs. For example, Thales is working with a Cognitics Institute on human factors inthe design of the cockpit of the future, and with design schools to tap into theirfuturistic vision of cockpits.

Some innovations and breakthroughs may be introduced at the 2020 horizon depending on thetechnical readiness level maturity