Army aviators are flying helicopters in highly dynamic and dangerous scenarios. In urban warfare, this can mean avoiding obstacles and external threats. On platforms like the US Army CH-47 Chinook, the pilot has guidance from a flight engineer or crew chief who can look down through a hatch in the floor. Other Army helicopters do not have that luxury. Regardless, there are numerous blind spots remaining around the aircraft that leave it vulnerable. SA Photonics has developed innovative methods of mapping a 360 FOV into a 120 FOV with our immersive High Situational Awareness and FOV system (HiSAF) system in order to support warfighter situational awareness and decisive actions. The central 1:1 region will allow a natural viewing environment while providing peripheral vision over the remaining 360 FOV, outside of the central region. The SA Photonics HiSAF system can be configured real-time in both an augmented reality (AR) optically see-through configuration, as well as direct view virtual reality (VR) version. Multiple mapping solutions with adjustable options will be developed, as well as acclimation and re-acclimation protocols. Mapping methods and options will be tested to determine the best fit for human performance.
