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In this section, you'll learn more about the possibilities of immersive experiences with air traffic control training pertaining to simulation. The resource features past and present experimentation with the immersive technology tools.
In this section, you'll learn more about the possibilities of immersive experiences with air traffic control training pertaining to simulation. The resource features past and present experimentation with the immersive technology tools.
Past Experimentation with immersive technology
NLR Amsterdam (2018)
The use of immersive technology with Air Traffic Control training is highly experimental. Another factor to take into account is that the information about these kinds of training is not readily available to the public.
Imagine yourself as a tower controller. What are some problems you could face in terms of your visual field?
NLR Amsterdam is an air navigation service provider and they have outlined 3 real world problems that tower controllers face:
Poor weather
Poor weather
Poor visibility can be caused by heavy fog, rain, or snow. Recently, smoke from wildfires can also cause difficulties.
Divided attention
Divided attention
A common problem is the inability to divide time looking at display screens and scanning outside the window.
Obstructed view
Obstructed view
Some airports are equipped with multiple cameras to help controllers scan. However, this set up could also cause an obstructed outside view.
To try to solve the 3 problems outlined above, NLR Amsterdam designed a concept demonstrator.
Watch the video below and try to pick out the equipment they used and the information overlaid in the immersive experience training.
Open the following collapsible fields to find out more about the experimental project.
What is the simulation environment like? What equipment did they have?
What is the simulation environment like? What equipment did they have?
The simulators are housed in a big dim room. The participants are provided with the equipment that they would use in a tower environment. One particular piece of equipment shown is used to monitor ground traffic.
The participants are provided a head mounted display as part of the immersive experience experimentation.
What is the purpose of the overlaid information that the tower controllers see?
What is the purpose of the overlaid information that the tower controllers see?
The head mounted display shows an overlay of a bright visual image of flight strip information in order to lessen "head down" time.
If you were a participant in this study, what are some possible problems you predict to have with the head mounted displays?
Open the collapsible field to find out!
What are some possible problems?
What are some possible problems?
The participants reported that the head mounted displays are unpleasant to wear. The cables attached to them are a problem as well.Â
They also have concerns about the accuracy and availability of the data on the head mounted displays.
Another interesting aspect of this experimentation was that they used Google Glasses. Though now defunct, it is one of the first mainstream products to feature immersive technology.
Google Glasses
Google Glasses
The participant can see the various video feeds of the runway and taxiways through the glasses. The video feed depends on the visual feed orientation of the user.
If you were a participant in this study, what are some possible problems you predict to have with the Google glasses?
Open the collapsible field to find out!
What are some possible problems?
What are some possible problems?
Surprisingly, the Google glasses garnered positive reviews. The participants said the display is bright and informative. The Google glasses removes the need for extra video monitors. In terms of ergonomics, it doesn't cause discomfort unlike the head mounted displays.
Present Experimentation with immersive technology
Chan, Wang, Guan, Soo, & Lim (2023)
The following experiment is from the Singapore Institute of Technology. The title of the paper is Integration of Virtual Reality with Intelligent Tutoring for High Fidelity Air Traffic Control Training.
Simulation training also involves the concept of fidelity as mentioned in the title of the study. The higher the fidelity the closer the simulated environment is to the real life operational conditions. Students start with low fidelity and as they progress through their training the level of fidelity also increases.
Simulators cost a lot of money. Could immersive technolgy help curb the costs but also improve the training experience of learners?
Current challenges with current simulator set up
Size of rooms
Size of rooms
Not all students in one class can simultaneously use the simulators.
Scheduling
Scheduling
The students need to sign up in order to use the simulators. While waiting for their turn, they need to spend their time reviewing the theory portion of their classes.
Availability of instructors
Availability of instructors
At least one instructor needs to be in the room to man the simulators and give feedback if necessary.
Current challenges with receiving feedback
There is no personalized feedback coming from the simulators because the machine does not track or monitor learning progress of trainees.
To address all the challenges outlined above, the researchers designed an experimental VR setup which looks like this:
Experimental VR set up
The main components of the VR headset setup:
The main headset: Oculus Quest 2. This gives the student a rich immersive virtual environment.
Push to talk button: This button is used for the student to initiate contact with the pilot in the system. The pilot in the system is AI generated.
Bluetooth headset microphone: This is needed to get high reception of sound and pick up voice signals.
To address the lack of personalized feedback from the simulator, further virtual architecture featuring an intelligent tutoring system has been proposed.
The intelligent tutoring system is like a human tutor because it uses data analytics to address the needs of the learner. The system comprises of 4 modules in order to provide that personalized and level appropriate training. Click on the arrows to expand the parts.
Expert knowledge module
Expert knowledge module
This is a library comprised of level appropriate lessons. It starts with basic procedures and extends to lessons that an experienced student would receive.
Trainee model module
Trainee model module
When students log in, their profile gets retrieved by the system. If the student is new, the system gathers information from the session.
Tutoring module
Tutoring module
This part of the system decides how to teach and what to teach for the students to gain skills to qualify as an air traffic controller.
User interface module
User interface module
This part of the system pertains to how the student interacts with the system.
The student can communicate with the server via hand gesture tracking and push-to-talk voice.
The students' gaze is tracked by the VR headset. This is important to gauge student confidence, immersiveness, and learning experience.
After the simulation run, the system generates a report for the student and the instructor.
To give a hollistic view of how this proposed VR setup would work, here's a step-by-step process of the VR simulator:
The student logs into the system.
The expert module selects a lesson from the library data base according to the student's level.
A pilot will communicate with the air traffic controller (student).
After the student replies, a problem is now presented by the AI generated controlled pilot.
The student then gives a response.
The system compares response from the domain expert module against the student's response.
If the student's response is correct, the pilot responds appropriately.
If the student's response is incorrect, the system notifies the student of the error.
Summary
Positive impact
Positive impact
If successful, this could curb the costs of simulators. This current set up could also provide another form of practice for the students. The ability to give feedback is a great addition. Students can practice by themselves and avoid over relying on the instructor for feedback.
Limitations
Limitations
The current researchers have not published the results of their study as this set up is still in development. The effectiveness of the proposed simulation is yet to be seen.
The current simulation set up only practices phraseology which is the specific set of phrases that air traffic controllers give pilots when they control planes. The simulator does not help students interact with the equipment they will use in a tower environment. It is also not clear what specific skills with regards to airplane separation the VR set up can help the students with.
Artificial intelligence and its impact in Air Traffic Control training
First online only basic air traffic control course (Air traffic management, 2023)
First online only basic air traffic control course (Air traffic management, 2023)
Lektor consulting is a Finnish consulting company which announced the roll out of the first online only basic air traffic control course in January 2024. The simulation component of the course is reported to have used spoken language from diverse sets of people to understand speech from different accents. If this is successful, this would be a huge help as common voice recognition software in simulators does not respond well to students who have a "foreign" accent.
Air traffic management
Air traffic management
AI has a huge influence with air traffic management, which is an area that touches upon conflict detection between airplanes. Watch the video to see how the experimental systems help air traffic controllers with decision making to resolve or avoid conflict between aircrafts.
Air traffic control is a vital part of the aviation industry. It ensures planes and other activities in the sky are done in a safe manner. Knowing this, there should be a robust market and demand for air traffic control training. Click on the button below to learn more about the business side of air traffic control training.
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