Combining Physical and Virtual Mock-Ups: EADS Innovation Works Presents a Mixed Reality Application for the Aviation Industry

Munich, 06 May 2010

At RTT Excite 2010, Europe's major platform for professional high end visualisation, EADS Innovation Works is presenting a Mixed Reality based visualisation system applicable to marketing, manufacturing and maintenance purposes of commercial aircraft. Mixed Reality uses a mobile display device to view directly into the digital mock-up (DMU) simply by moving through the real aircraft and mixing the real environment with the view of the virtual aircraft model. The display device, typically a tablet PC or the iPhone is used as a window into the DMU. This is done using tracking technologies allowing to geo-localize the tablet PC with respect to the aircraft. RTT Excite 2010 is taking place in Munich on May 6 and 7.

To communicate the value of a future product such as a commercial aircraft, full-scale cabin mock-ups are built, which reflect new design concepts and future visions. The high standards for a handcrafted mock-up result in a high cost and limited flexibility in terms of variants and the presentation of different concepts. While the EADS Innovation Works advanced design and visualisation team is working on cabin interiors, lower deck crew rest areas, catering facilities, lavatories, they are also developing Mixed Reality tools to enhance the flexibility and the marketing value of physical mock-ups. This visualization technology allows a user to see virtual information added to reality in real time, using the spatial relationship between the virtual model and the real environment.

Once deployed, Mixed Reality technology enables a mock-up to be enriched by adding and changing components and designs without additional expenses. For a demonstration, an optical tracking system is set up in a cabin mock-up for the visualization on an iPhone screen. When the user is holding the phone towards the cabin interior, a see-through view is created where the screen covers part of the user's field of view. The visualization can show, for example, different colour variations or additional interior furnishings, which are "virtually" overlaid on the physical mock-up. In addition to developing industrial design features, the Mixed Reality tool can be used to assess cabin lighting scenarios, the visibility of emergency placards and lights and the look of different surface textures. A wide range of other engineering issues can be addressed with the tool, such as cockpit layouts, systems configurations and ergonomics. An example is the possibility to display the complex wiring within the aircraft cabin using an X-Ray like view through the cabin structure and filtering the content regarding the specific interest of the current user or maintenance worker.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2009, the Group - comprising Airbus, Eurocopter, EADS Astrium and EADS Defence & Security – generated revenues of € 42.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 119,000.

EADS Press Release