A new custom virtual reality flight simulator created by NASA researchers will allow them to explore how passengers experience air taxi trips and collect data that will help designers create new aircraft with passenger comfort in mind.
Wayne Ringelberg, a test pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, recently completed a series of flight tests at the new simulator to help the team make adjustments before other users become involved in the first research study later this year.
“This project takes advantage of our research and the experience of the test pilot crew in vertical lift to validate the safety and accuracy of the laboratory in preparation for test subject evaluations,” Ringelberg said. “Experiments in the flight quality laboratory will inform the advanced air mobility community about the acceptability of the movements these aircraft could perform, making the general public more likely to adopt the new technology.”
Ringelberg was secured in the seat at the top of the simulator platform, wearing a virtual reality headset and headphones. Their simulated air taxi ride began with a takeoff from a conceptual vertipad atop a parking garage in downtown San Francisco, California, built by NASA engineers in the virtual world.
As the scheduled trip took him through downtown San Francisco and landed at another vertipad atop a skyscraper, Ringelberg evaluated the realism and coherence of the simulation’s visual, motion, and audio signals. He then provided feedback to the research team.
Once the pilot tests are complete, NASA researchers will conduct a series of research studies with human subjects over the next four years. The goal is to gather information that will help the industry better understand what makes flying in an air taxi comfortable and enjoyable for customers.
This simulator is the Centerpiece of the Virtual Reality Passenger Travel Quality Lab from NASA’s Armstrong Laboratory. The lab combines virtual reality images, physical motion cues and spatialized rotor sounds to create an immersive experience for air taxi passengers.
The work is managed by the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project under NASA’s Advanced Aerial Vehicles Program in support of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility mission, which seeks to deliver data to guide the development of air taxis and drones. electrical in the industry.
