By the end of the decade, says Thales, one of the world's largest makers of aircraft cockpits, pilots could start dispensing with buttons, trackballs and keypads for performing many routine flying tasks in favor of icons that can be dragged and slide-to-scroll menus.
"The idea is to reduce as much as possible the number of buttons and control panels and replace them with virtualization," said Bonnet, the head
Fewer buttons and control panels All information can be reached on same screen Displays can be customized for only relevant data
Bringing many control panels into a few touchscreen panels is a technological challenge An accidental touch may trigger wrong command The need for back-up if the screen refuses to respond to touch
Touch screens first made their way into military jets two decades ago, when Thales integrated the technology into the cockpit of the French Rafale fighter. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed by Lockheed Martin will also have instrument panels with touch-screen interfaces. But the concept is still relatively new to commercial jets. of cockpit innovation at Thales.
09/07/13 New York Times/Times of India
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"The idea is to reduce as much as possible the number of buttons and control panels and replace them with virtualization," said Bonnet, the head
Fewer buttons and control panels All information can be reached on same screen Displays can be customized for only relevant data
Bringing many control panels into a few touchscreen panels is a technological challenge An accidental touch may trigger wrong command The need for back-up if the screen refuses to respond to touch
Touch screens first made their way into military jets two decades ago, when Thales integrated the technology into the cockpit of the French Rafale fighter. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed by Lockheed Martin will also have instrument panels with touch-screen interfaces. But the concept is still relatively new to commercial jets. of cockpit innovation at Thales.
09/07/13 New York Times/Times of India
