It is a concept that should be a winner. On the occasion of the first Aeronautics and sustainable development forum, held on 18 November at ENAC (French National School of Civil Aviation) with the participation of 300 people, several research projects were presented. Amongst them was this interactive model in recyclable cardboard, which enabled the avionics of this electric helicopter prototype to be produced.
In fact, thanks to a simple computer, a projector, some cardboard, and an ENAC developed software, this demonstrator allows engineers to test and develop onboard instruments and interactive systems that will equip the cockpits of tomorrow.
Stéphane Chatty, Head of ENAC’s interactive computer lab: "The idea is to make the software disposable. A software with which an idea is tested, by allowing the end users to use it, and asking them to tell us whether it's not bad, what should be changed, what doesn’t work at all, or which option is preferred; and depending on what the reactions are, to throw the unacceptable away, and then move on to the final product. Ultimately it’s like a movie set, there are just the necessary functions visible to the user, and the rest is of no importance, as long as it works during the twenty minutes of the test."
A real new ideas accelerator. The advantage of the system is that it cuts development costs and testing time by five, compared to what is done today. Another advantage is that in just 15 minutes the interactive model can be installed anywhere. One way of promoting an environmentally cleaner aviation because more intelligence in aviation cockpits rhymes with energy savings.
