US Military pilots get an upgrade with 3D hearing

Today we hear a lot about three-dimensional technologies. On electronicproducts.com we talk about 3D television, 3D printing, 3D data collection, and 3D sounds. But what about actual 3D hearing?

When a U.S. military pilot is in the cockpit, he or she must interpret visual displays in order to problem solve.

(Image via Raytheon)

Raytheon Company, a technology and innovation organization specializing in defense, has now invented a new 3D Audio technology that solves this major problem for warfighters of constantly having to look around. The 3D Audio generates “geospatial” sounds to alert pilots of potential threats, allowing them to hear sounds exactly where they are.

When a pilot turns his or her head, the system will make necessary adjustments to accommodate this change, moving the computer-generated sounds with it. This technology also enables pilots to monitor multiple radio channels more efficiently.

“Pilots for years have been listening to three or four radios, and when two people would talk at the same time, it would just come across garbled,” said Todd Lovell, a Raytheon engineer and former V-22 Osprey pilot.

 
The 3D Audio system separates all of the different radio noises relative to the pilot’s head.

On its website, Raytheon explains that the radios could be set up so that a pilot would hear the co-pilot’s voice coming from the side, a passenger’s voice coming from behind, and the air traffic controller’s voice coming from directly in front of them.

 
Raytheon invented this technology in an attempt to create the omniscient pilot, capable of seeing and hearing everything. The company has created some other technologies that support this effort.

 
The Advanced Distributed Aperture System uses sensors outside an aircraft to create different perspectives that enable a “glass ball” view through weather conditions such as dust and snow. Raytheon’s Center Display Unit allows for top sensor technology in older aircrafts, and pilots are getting even more high-tech with the Aviation Warrior, a computer that a pilot can wear. Now pilots can bring technology with them, even when they leave the plane.

With 3D hearing added to the mix, we better keep an eye out for the “all-knowing” pilot of tomorrow.

Check out how 3D hearing works in the video below.

Learn more about Raytheon.