Flight testing the infrared eye prototype

The Infrared (IR) Eye was developed with support from the National Search-and-Rescue Secretariat (NSS), in view of improving the efficiency of airborne search-and-rescue operations. The IR Eye concept is based on the human eye and uses simultaneously two fields of view to optimize area coverage and detection capability. It integrates two cameras: the first, with a wide field of view of 40degrees, is used for search and detection while the second camera, with a narrower field of view of 10degrees for higher resolution and identification, is mobile within the wide field and slaved to the operator's line of sight by means of an eye-tracking system. The images from both cameras are fused and shown simultaneously on a standard high resolution CRT display unit, interfaced with the eye-tracking unit in order to optimize the man-machine interface. The system was flight tested using the Advanced System Research Aircraft (Bell 412 helicopter) from the Flight Research Laboratory of the National Research Council of Canada. This paper presents some results of the flight tests, indicates the strengths and deficiencies of the system, and suggests future improvements for an advanced system.