An Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (A-TARS) would not only allow pilots fly realistic training missions against any adversary—even a Starwars X-wing—but also have broad consumer applications.
Red 6, a Santa Monica, CA-based technology company has developed three-dimensional (3D) augmented reality (ARI) virtual images that can be programmed on a pilot’s visor. This enables the pilot to engage the VR image, that appears to be moving in the real world, using his aircraft systems.
Red 6 has already developed a helmet and visor system that can project the image on the visor, effectively putting virtual airplanes in the real world.
Dan Robinson, a UK Royal Air Force Tornado pilot, who was the first non-American to fly the F-22 Raptor, explained that Red 6 is “…putting virtual airplanes in the real world, not just for pilots, but to connect everyone together in an augmented battlespace.” He added that “A-TARS offers an incredible opportunity to synthetically train across multiple domains.”
In response to the question, “what are you really going after,” Robinson, replied, “The trillion-dollar market is spatial computing for consumers. We have a pathway, a technology roadmap for display technology for the consumer market.”