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Helicopter Aiding for Zero-Zero Landings with Advanced, Reactive Displays (HAZZARD)

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Navy
Contract: N00014-14-P-1078
Agency Tracking Number: N132-133-0144
Amount: $79,267.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N132-133
Solicitation Number: 2013.2
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2013
Award Year: 2014
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2013-10-28
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2014-08-28
Small Business Information
625 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-
United States
DUNS: 115243701
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Ryan Kilgore
 Principal Scientist
 (617) 491-3474
 rkilgore@cra.com
Business Contact
 Mark Felix
Title: Contracts Manager
Phone: (617) 491-3474
Email: mfelix@cra.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Although Navy MH-60R/S SEAHAWK helicopters have long played a critical role in military operations, degraded visual environments continue to plague landing safety. Current heads-down displays do not address pilots"need to continuously perceive and respond to a rich set of external visual cues during shipboard landings (e.g., proximity, orientation, relative motion). To address this, we propose to leverage established Ecological Interface Design (EID) theory to design, demonstrate, and evaluate concepts for Helicopter Aiding for Zero-Zero Landings with Advanced, Reactive Displays (HAZZARD). We will design a simple, abstract display symbology that uses emergent visual cues to support pilots"direct and intuitive perception of aircraft status within the context of physical and safety constraints. We will augment this display symbology with reactive feedback from an automated flight director to guide the pilot into a landing maneuver synchronized with ship motion. The flight director will incorporate detailed models of: (1) the MH-60 platform and control systems; (2) flight-deck motion in varying sea-states; and (3) environmental effects, including turbulent wind gusts. Finally, we will construct and evaluate working prototypes of promising HAZZARD symbology and flight director designs through a series of evolutionary prototypes, and identify a low-risk pathway for flight-test demonstrations under Phase II.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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