RC Model Reviews

Hey Guys,
I offer this as an open-ended question. I was wondering if there would be any way of creating a headsup display for plying telemetry-enabled RC aircraft. What i envision is a set of goggles/sunglasses that have one pane with opaque lenses and the readings for the telemetry data. This way we don't have to look down at a screen, or listen for tones.
Any ideas out there? First, I have not seen a civilian pair of headsup goggles or sunglasses, so i don't know what is available. but I am sure something muct be out there. Mind you, I don't want this to be an FPV setup.
Thanks,
Curtis

Head-up displays would be kind of expensive I think -- which is why I've opted to go the speech synthesis route.

You'll be able to set warnings, ranges and resolutions for the speech system.

For example -- the system can be programmed to verbalize the altitude in 10-foot, 20-foot, 30-foot (or whatever) intervals or you can simply set a warning that will start vocalizing the altitude at some specified maximum or minimum level.

Same would go for speed and distance from take-off plus things like battery voltage, temperature, G-Forces etc.

Verbalisations could also be prioritized - so for instance, you could have a G-force warning interrupt an altitude warning because you've decided that it's more important to know if the wings are about to break than it is to know that you've reached the legal maximum height in your flying area.

My old eyes have enough trouble coping with keeping the model in sight, let alone also trying to read a head-up display

On the subject of HUD's I know you can get one for motorcycles which is a wireless system which clips onto your helmet and projects you speed etc onto your visor so in theory it should not be impossible, however they were pricey last time I looked.

But as with most things FPV was pricey when I looked at it last year, no so much this year.

We've seen you fly -- I think a helmet is a good idea -- not just for the HUD

As long as you are not sitting in a tree you are safe.

This is a cool idea.. Youd feel like the terminator, a set of raybans with HUD information on them, Are you John Conner? A mate of mine has an aftermarket system in his car, he got a few years ago but it was only around 600bucks then, and displays a whole bunch of flashey rubbish. Be a very cool system if someone came up with something plugNplay, id buy it!

Let's not forget "The Matrix display", plugs in the back of your head (minor surgery required)

beau0090_99 wrote:Hey Guys,
I offer this as an open-ended question. I was wondering if there would be any way of creating a headsup display for plying telemetry-enabled RC aircraft. What i envision is a set of goggles/sunglasses that have one pane with opaque lenses and the readings for the telemetry data. This way we don't have to look down at a screen, or listen for tones.
Any ideas out there? First, I have not seen a civilian pair of headsup goggles or sunglasses, so i don't know what is available. but I am sure something muct be out there. Mind you, I don't want this to be an FPV setup.
Thanks,
Curtis

A company named Microvision in the States may be onto this.
http://www.microvision.com/wearable_dis ... obile.html

RCModelReviews wrote:Head-up displays would be kind of expensive I think -- which is why I've opted to go the speech synthesis route.

You'll be able to set warnings, ranges and resolutions for the speech system.

For example -- the system can be programmed to verbalize the altitude in 10-foot, 20-foot, 30-foot (or whatever) intervals or you can simply set a warning that will start vocalizing the altitude at some specified maximum or minimum level.

Same would go for speed and distance from take-off plus things like battery voltage, temperature, G-Forces etc.

Verbalisations could also be prioritized - so for instance, you could have a G-force warning interrupt an altitude warning because you've decided that it's more important to know if the wings are about to break than it is to know that you've reached the legal maximum height in your flying area.

My old eyes have enough trouble coping with keeping the model in sight, let alone also trying to read a head-up display

Bruce: I appreciate what you are saying, but I feel there is real promise in projecting telemetry infomation onto a pair of sunglasses. Sure, it would be expensive, but I am just talking possibilities here just for the sake of discussion. As I have posted elsewhere, Microvision (no I have no stock in this company or any other interest) seems to have the technology to project telemetry information onto a pair of sunglasses. My eyes are getting a bit dim here as well, but you would just "look through" the information display at your airplane and chose to refocus on the telemetry information. http://www.microvision.com/wearable_dis ... obile.html

I much prefer the HUD concept as it is far less distracting than a voice.
With realtime information displayed on a HUD, the possibility of aircraft attitude can be monitored and displayed (Yaw, pitch and roll)
Speed is not so important but voltage, radio signal strength so you know when you are flying into trouble etc. All this offers multiple information available in real time immediately.
One voice is only capable of conveying one parameter at a time. To fly a Rc plane we need more.

Currently your brain processes everything it sees the plane doing so subconsciously the corrections for yaw pitch and roll are tranfered to the fingers to the sticks.
However the accuracy of the correction is based on the experience of the pilot knowing when the right wing is 2degrees lower than the left, a problem for a competition pilot.

FPV would of course sweeten the whole deal but I'd take a nice pair of Oakley Splinters with a HUD device.
I'd prefer to keep my ears tuned into the calls of other pilots and the proximity of other airplanes rather have some woman with an irritatingly calm voice saying turn left at next roundabout, turn left at next roundabout