The SIMONA Research Simulator is a moving-base flight simulator that immerses the pilot in the flight deck environment of aircraft and helicopters to investigate the future of human-machine interfaces.
The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering has designed, built and now operates the SIMONA Research Simulator as a research facility in two main research areas: simulation technology and human-machine interaction.
The moving base flight simulator acts as a testbed and concept demonstrator for a variety of simulation technologies. The construction of the cabin uses light-weight composite materials and an aerospace-inspired design to maximize motion performance. Custom control algorithms are used to precisely drive the motion base for vestibular cues, as well as the force-feedback controls (control column, rudder pedals, car steering wheel) for haptic cues. A flexible, real-time, distributed simulation software environment connects the different subsystems in a way that is easily accessible for researchers and students alike.
As a tool for human-machine interaction research the simulator can be used to measure humans and their interaction with more or less automated vehicles, as well as act as a substitute for a real vehicle for technology evaluation purposes. Using system identification techniques first applied in the flight test domain, the simulator can be used to develop pilot models that precisely describe human perception and control behaviour. These pilot models can in turn be used to optimize the different cueing systems in virtual environments.
Technologies that have been evaluated using the simulator include synthetic vision displays, fly-by-wire control algorithms, haptic support systems, and air traffic management optimization techniques. Due to the relatively high fidelity of the simulator these evaluations are characterized by a high correlation with in-flight results, as for instance in the Faculty’s research aircraft PH-LAB, at a fraction of the effort and costs.