Australian Army explores U.S. tactile technology for pilots

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Australian military researchers are working with the U.S. Army to equip helicopter pilots with a Tactile Cueing System.

Australian company elmTEK and researchers at the University of Canberra, Adelaide, are developing touch-based assistive technology for pilots in threatened or low-visibility environments.

"The TCS has the potential to provide helicopter pilots with accurate information regarding aircraft flight data, such as altitude, velocity, navigation, acceleration, and threat/target location," lead researcher Dr. Braden McGrath said in a statement.

The technology reportedly uses hardware developed by the U.S. Army and Australian researchers will develop software specific to the needs of their pilots.

Dr. McGrath told Australia's ABC News the system uses a vibrating vest to alert pilots while flying.

"With the tactile cueing system as the pilot comes into land, if a drift starts, say on his right hand side, he would feel a vibration on his right hand side," he said.

Dr. McGrath went on to add that the Australian Army will work with the U.S. Army to develop their own software to suit how their country's pilots fly their aircraft, rather than purchasing the equipment from the United States.

"We do things differently from the U.S. This is one of those situations where we couldn't just buy it from the U.S., we needed to develop our own software," he said.

Australian Department of Defense funding for the research comes from a pool of $14.2 million distributed to seven different projects through the Capability and Demonstrator Program managed by the Defence Science and Technology Group.