Advanced computer vision technology company Seeing Machines has announced a collaboration agreement with avionics company, Collins Aerospace, to deliver eye-tracking technology solutions for monitoring pilot fatigue across the aviation industry.
The companies say they will jointly market co-developed solutions to commercial air transport, business, military, rotary wing, general aviation and flight training customers to address improved safety and efficiencies for both pilot training and flight operations.
The agreement provides Collins with access to Seeing Machines' eye-tracking advanced optics, embedded processing, human factors and algorithm expertise to support its continued development of the broader Collins Pilot Support System (PSS).
With flight crews operating demanding schedules, often across multiple time zones, managing fatigue risk is critical. While airlines have robust processes for tracking pilot fatigue, these burden pilots with manual self-evaluation and reporting. This new technology aims to provide 'another level of safety and higher quality data' by using innovative eye and pupil tracking algorithms to sense a pilot's level of alertness.
"As the aviation industry looks to the future of intelligent aircraft design, understanding the cognitive state of the pilot and crew is paramount," Christophe Blanc, vice president & general manager, Business & Regional Avionics for Collins Aerospace, said. "Pilot workload and wellbeing are key focus areas of our avionics design, and this partnership will allow us to further support the pilots and their needs."
"Our work with Collins to deploy eye-tracking technology for pilots aims to deliver a scalable implementation model across the aviation industry," Paul McGlone, chief executive officer of Seeing Machines, added. "We anticipate exciting advancements for Seeing Machines as we leverage Collins' expertise and market leadership position in avionics and aircraft systems."