The aerospace industry has traditionally been one of the leaders in utilization of VR technology. One of the first to use VR in training through the development of flight simulators, the aerospace industry is also pioneering its use in even more innovative ways.

One of these uses is through NASA’s development of virtual reality vision called "synthetic vision" to create a high-tech cockpit display designed to give commercial pilots a clear, virtual reality view even when the weather is bad. The display works like a detailed, three-dimensional video game. It shows the pilot mountains, runways and other landscape features. The technology is intended to reduce visibility induced errors which account for more than 30 percent of fatal air accidents; a pilot who can’t see landmarks can become disoriented and make deadly mistakes.

The technology is based on a huge database of the earth’s surface that will be created on an upcoming shuttle mission. NASA expects to spend roughly $75 million over five years to develop synthetic vision, but expects that it will be used on commercial planes in five years.

Another technology development with potential impact on the aerospace industry is Virtual Retinal DisplayÔ (VRDÔ ). This technology rapidly scans a low-power pinpoint beam of colored light onto the retina of the viewer’s eye, creating a high resolution, full-motion image without the use of screens or externally project images. This technology will allow pilots, navigators, or even mechanics hands free access to information in virtual reality environments without the use of screens or externally projected images.

Helpful links:

Daimler Chrysler Aerospace

http://www.dasa.com/dasa/index_e.htm?/dasa/e/defence/army/educat/aus05.htm

VR Tour of Gulfstream Jet

http://www.gulfstream.com/prod/gv/qtvr.htm