Computer simulations are nothing new in the field of aviation education. But a new partnership between Western Michigan University and Microsoft is taking that one big step further. Microsoft has selected Lori Brown, an associate professor of aviation at WMU, to test out their new HoloLens, the world\u2019s first self-contained holographic computer. The augmented reality interface will bring students a little closer to the realities of flight.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the use of innovative technology in the classroom, this is by no means Professor Brown\u2019s first rodeo. She has spent years researching the uses of virtual and augmented reality in aviation education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past 16\u00a0years that I’ve been teaching advanced aircraft systems, I have identified many gaps in the tools and equipment available to me as a professor. Ultimately, mixed reality bridges the gap between simulation, the aircraft and the classroom,” Brown told WMU News<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the moment, Brown and her team have incorporated the HoloLense with WMU\u2019s CRJ-200 flight simulator. They are currently designing a further simulation for the Federal Aviation Administration that will help pilots prepare for and respond to changing weather scenarios.<\/p>\n They have also already created JetXplore, which allows students to intimately explore the parts of a plane.\u00a0“I wanted my students to be able to see inside and interact with aircraft components such as a turbofan engine,” says Brown. “When I saw that the medical community was using HoloLens to allow students to see inside the human body, I realized that HoloLens could augment my lab. The ability to see inside an engine is similar to seeing the bones of a human body.” Brown wants to recreate that app with an entire virtual airport.<\/p>\nUsing the HoloLens to Fly a Plane and See Inside It<\/h1>\n