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Airbus Patents a VR Helmet That’ll Make You Forget You’re on a Plane

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posted on Sep, 22 2014 @ 10:10 PM
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European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has filed a patent for a virtual reality isolation helmet to take the stress out of flying. Just sit back, relax, and find your happy place. You can even pretend you're flying your own plane or piloting the space shuttle!




Patent #: US008814266
(it comes up blank for me)


“An aim of the invention is to improve in this respect the comfort of aircraft passengers,” the company said. "For this purpose, the helmet in which the passenger houses their head offers the person sensorial isolation with regard to the external environment. This isolation can be more or less pronounced according to the configuration of the helmet and the functionalities which are associated with it.“



The helmets feature headphones to provide music. You can watch movies (perhaps in 3D) on the “opto-electronic” screen or possibly through “image diffusion glasses.” If you want to get some work done, turn on the virtual keyboard, which appears on your tray, don a pair of motion capture gloves, and type away. The helmet could even pipe in different odors for an olfactory treat, and the whole thing would be nicely ventilated.

Flying requires sitting in one place, listening to your surroundings and sometimes engaging in conversation with a complete stranger, many skills the average person doesn't have. I guess the new way of creating your own reality is to completely forget the one your in.

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Airbus has released a picture of the first prototype.


edit on 22-9-2014 by eisegesis because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 22 2014 @ 10:17 PM
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Nifty creation and I'm sure a lot of people may go for it-but all the times I've flown I felt like I was keeping the plane in the sky through sheer force of will:-) I'm not the only one,a friend's sister once remarked that she also felt that way.I would' prefer to know exactly what's going on around me at all times,though,,so if I felt flight stress this would actually make it worse.Always better to have uncompromised situational awareness where ever you are,well that's how I feel,anyway.a reply to: eisegesis


edit on 22-9-2014 by Raxoxane because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 22 2014 @ 10:45 PM
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originally posted by: eisegesis

Airbus has released a picture of the first prototype.


I gave you an S&F just for this pic LOL.

But seriously, VR helmets, for what? Make it so you don't feel the sudden stop during impact with the ground? Or maybe make it so that when the plane drops and you experience that weightless feeling you think it's part of the VR program? I would think that even though one has an extremely limited chance of surviving a plane crash, one of these jobs would just seal the deal, you know, by being in that happy place an all.

Cheers - Dave



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 12:05 AM
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originally posted by: Raxoxane
Always better to have uncompromised situational awareness where ever you are, well that's how I feel, anyway.


Situational awareness can be the difference between life and death. I wouldn't feel bad if I took the last parachute over the guy fiddling with his VR helmet during a crash.



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 12:37 AM
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originally posted by: eisegesis
Situational awareness can be the difference between life and death. I wouldn't feel bad if I took the last parachute over the guy fiddling with his VR helmet during a crash.

Well it's all good then, since there are no parachutes on airliners.



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 12:45 AM
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a reply to: eisegesis

The thought of encapsulating my head in a helmet that someone else was just using makes my skin crawl. I think I'll just stick to feigning sleep with my headphones on while the fat guy next to me encroaches on my armrest.



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 04:33 AM
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a reply to: eisegesis

I suppose this could add an interesting twist to the pre flight safety procedures demonstrated by the air stewardess. Considering said device would illustrate an emergency landing/crash to a far superior fashion.

Then again after virtually experiencing hitting the ground like a dart going 300+MPH I don't see many passengers continuing there journey.
LoL
edit on 23-9-2014 by andy06shake because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 09:41 AM
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originally posted by: eNumbra
Well it's all good then, since there are no parachutes on airliners.


Thanks for the reminder. They can still be used in planes flying under 20,000ft.

What do you think about virtual reality being used on airplanes?



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 02:52 PM
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originally posted by: eisegesis

originally posted by: eNumbra
Well it's all good then, since there are no parachutes on airliners.


Thanks for the reminder. They can still be used in planes flying under 20,000ft.

What do you think about virtual reality being used on airplanes?

On any flight that's going to last more than 4 hours, I think it's a great idea.



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 02:58 PM
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There's the new Oculus Rift VR headset being used in gaming now. It has head tracking and wide FOV and 3d stereoscopic with depth, scale and parralax. So it actually does give the user depth perception - things far away actually look far away. What if one of these console makers manages to make one of these VR headsets cheaply enough to be used with one of their consoles? We're obviously not there yet in terms of the technology, but maybe in 10-20 years? And if this happens I'd suppose young gamers would become acclimatized to becoming fully immersed in the VR environment. So whereas the older folks will feel repulsed by it, the younger folks will embrace it.

Something similar has happened with mobile devices. So many young people use them now, even at work. They stare at them so much. It really started with radio's in the early 20th century and evolved to handheld radios and then finally to walkmans and ipods.

This also happens with computers and books. People can stare at them all day. Anything that takes your attention away from your immediate envrionment should produce this zombie state in the individual.

These older folk don't exactly act repulsed, but give them a couple children who never take it off and they won't like it either:

edit on 23-9-2014 by jonnywhite because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 03:40 PM
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originally posted by: jonnywhite
What if one of these console makers manages to make one of these VR headsets cheaply enough to be used with one of their consoles? We're obviously not there yet in terms of the technology, but maybe in 10-20 years?

Speculation puts Oculus around $250 on release currently. It's already cheap enough to use with a PC or console, you just won't see them ship with a console anytime soon - unless Playstation's Morpheus pulls through and Valve's own foray into the newly reforming VR market makes headway.

Add the Omni into the mix (a good bit more expensive at $500) and you've got a sub $1k home Virtual Reality setup.



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 05:42 PM
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a reply to: eNumbra

I was trying to go for hte ballpark of something cheap. $250 needs to come down. Common people just won't spend much more than $100-250 for a console and $50 for games. And consumers need to want it, but I think that's not a big problem, if the technology is there. They still need to promote it, though. Once all this is there and it's hyped up, ever young gamer will be using it.

And then we have hte next stage of the zombification of humanity. Remember, I gave an example and goes like this: books->radio->handheld radio->computers->walkman->ipod->oculus rift. But it applies to anything you can stare at for long periods of time and disconnects you from your immediate environment.

There's an attempt to keep people physically healthy by such things as Wii Fit and Omni and even Kinect. But will it succeed? I have my doubts. One can already look at our body and compare it to Neanderthal and Homo Erectus. We're losing body mass by comparison. We're taller, but weaker by the day. Even just 100 years ago far more was expected of a person physically.

Some people think technology will drive us to extinction because it'll cause us to de-evolve. We'll throw away our responsibilities, and much like a drunk, drink away our future. I don't think that'll happen for our species as a whole. I think we'll get weaker and weaker. We may remain tall. We'll develop new technologies to keep us fit and healthy. I don't think we'll suddenly all turn into fitness gurus to stay in shape. It'll be subtle changes and new technology and lucky genes. I do think there'll be many harsh endings for people who didn't have what it takes. It's not rainbows and butterflies. Reality is indifferent to us.
edit on 23-9-2014 by jonnywhite because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 06:04 PM
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I am all for VR and can't wait for the consumer version of the Rift, by why would I want to do this while flying?
I love flying, there is nothing more amazing than flying during day time over some cool landscapes. Being ABOVE the clouds and looking down.

The flight we took from Germany to Spain was one of the most amazing flights ever, across the entire Alps and then crossing the Mediterranean. Just....mind blowing!! For me, flying is one of the last true "adventures" people can actually have. You sit there, sip a beer, eat some peanuts and look down at mountain ranges etc... I also love when the plane starts, the force you feel and then when it "magically" takes off.

I also was scared of flying many years ago, but the fascination etc. is bigger than the fear that something happens. Much higher chance something to happen ON THE WAY to the airport going 70mph on the interstate surrounded by aholes and drunk drivers etc.



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 06:06 PM
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originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: eisegesis

I suppose this could add an interesting twist to the pre flight safety procedures demonstrated by the air stewardess.


I love those. Especially when they advise you to put on live vests..ON A FLIGHT FROM CHICAGO TO SEATTLE. Hilarious : )



posted on Sep, 23 2014 @ 07:08 PM
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originally posted by: jonnywhite
a reply to: eNumbra

I was trying to go for hte ballpark of something cheap. $250 needs to come down. Common people just won't spend much more than $100-250 for a console and $50 for games. And consumers need to want it, but I think that's not a big problem, if the technology is there. They still need to promote it, though. Once all this is there and it's hyped up, ever young gamer will be using it.

And then we have hte next stage of the zombification of humanity. Remember, I gave an example and goes like this: books->radio->handheld radio->computers->walkman->ipod->oculus rift. But it applies to anything you can stare at for long periods of time and disconnects you from your immediate environment.

There's an attempt to keep people physically healthy by such things as Wii Fit and Omni and even Kinect. But will it succeed? I have my doubts.

$250 certainly isn't going to appeal to the more casual crowd, but it is definitely cheap enough for the more hardcore market, who are inevitably who will test out the kinks in the first release generation. After that the prices will begin to fall and we'll start seeing $100-$$125-$150 VR headsets, that's when they'll be able to market it as a common peripheral for every console, until then it's going to remain a hardcore PC gamer peripheral.

As for the Omni, I think it will see much better success as an arcade piece in a place like Dave & Busters (a bar and arcade for those of you who don't know) where you can pay $10 and get some time on an Omni with an oculus and headphones. Things would likely pay for themselves the first night.

It's still nonstandard hardware and the tech forums are the only place to go to get one to work with a game- I do however have a $50 off coupon for an Omni from this past E3, and plan on getting one regardless.




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