Auditory Horizon for General Aviation

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The United States Air Force seeks industry partners to license and commercialize an advanced technology that provides an Auditory Horizon for pilots. The Auditory Horizon provides pilots auditory feedback based on an airplane’s pitch and roll that allows the pilot to maintain spatial orientation in bad weather and when flying at night. The Auditory Horizon brings military situational awareness to General Aviation.

The Technology:

The Auditory Horizon is a patent pending method developed by the Air Force Research Lab Human Effectiveness Directorate(AFRL-HE). AFRL-HE has a long and successful history of advanced research in auditory displays that help military pilots maintain situational awareness and spatial orientation under extremely difficult conditions. This technology processes data from
Global Positioning Systems and flight indicators then provides audio feedback to the pilot through the existing entertainment and
communication systems. The Auditory Horizon technology provides a three dimensional auditory artificial horizon that the pilot can use to orient the aircraft. The audio display is continuously available, but is easily relegated to the pilot’s mental background when it is not needed. The Auditory Horizon has been tested by pilots at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Benefits:

Increased situational awareness for general aviation pilots
Increases flight safety by helping pilots avoid conditions that result in spatial disorientation
Easily integrated into existing aircraft avionics equipment
Proven effective in real flight tests
Provides a clear advancement and “wow” factor that will increase avionics instrumentation sales

The Opportunity:

The Auditory Horizon has been prototyped and tested. This technology is patent pending and is available for licensing from the US Air Force. A demonstration can be arranged. Collaborative R&D with the Air Force is a possibility.

Contacts:

Sean Patten, CLP

spatten@montana.edu

406-994-7721