The i-VISION project was a three (3) year, three (3) million €, European funded aeronautics project. The i-VISION project aimed at developing technology to reduce product development times and costs for the aerospace industry. More precisely, its purpose was the development of a platform that would combine technologies from three distinct areas namely: Human Factors, Virtual Reality and Semantics with an aim to aid in the design, development and validation of future cockpit technologies.
The final solution consisted of three interconnected modules:

  • Human-Cockpit Operations Analysis Module
  • Semantic Virtual Cockpit Module
  • Virtual Cockpit Design Environment Module

A running example of the i-VISION platform is presented below.

  • Users interact physically with the Virtual Cockpit.
  • OPTIS HIM, the Virtual Cockpit Design Environment renders the virtual 3D cockpit and track user’s physical actions.
  • Data from the engineers, the designer and the interactions with the user are stored in the semantics databases.
  • A set of analysis methods from a set of methods proposed from subject matter experts were adjusted to give the i-VISION tool human analysis capabilities.
  • The interface “Human Cockpit Operations Analysis” presents the capability of the i-VISION tool for Hierarchical Task Analysis.
  • The pilot is performing a procedure; the tool automatically detects it and generates the hierarchy.
  • The communication between modules is handled though a ROS network or HTTP with RESTFULL characteristics.
  • Semantic database store hierarchical and parent – child relationships between simple geometries and their physical properties in RDF format.

During my work in this project, I assumed multiple roles, since I had the opportunity to be involved already from the beginning until its completion. During the first 18 months of the project I was responsible for developing software prototypes and designing architectures for all the three technological modules, as part of the technical definition and early prototype development phase. Moreover, I was responsible for the integration of human factors technologies and the design and development of the Human Cockpit Operations Analysis Module. Later in the project, I assumed the role of technical project leader. I was responsible for the delivery and quality of technical developments, in addition to the technical reporting to senior management and the European Commission.

Relevant Publications

You may find more about the i-VISION project here.

If you want to find more about the astounding work my colleagues are producing under the supervision of Professor George Chryssolouris please have a look at here.