April 5, 2018 - No. 027 In This Issue Internet Of Things For Aviation Gets Real Aerospace Industry Leaders Boeing, Embry-Riddle Partner to Support Tech Startups at Research Park One-Third of GE Aviation's New Turboprop Engine Will Consist of 3D Printed Metal Components Airbus Applauds Partner Metamaterial Technologies Inc. for Win at Aviation Week Laureate Awards All-purpose talent in aircraft manufacturing Lockheed wins $247.5 million NASA contract to build quieter supersonic jet Norway Invests In Electric Airplanes To Combat Greenhouse Gas Emissions Smart glasses in the aviation industry: a fast developing technology Iridium Satellites Host Aireon's Space-Based Air Traffic Surveillance Tech Prototype Satellite Launched on SpaceX Rocket Will Try to Clean Up Space Junk Internet Of Things For Aviation Gets Real The Industrial Internet of Things has gone from generating excitement about its potential-and hype-in the aviation industry to a more practical concern that can be summed up by "what's in it for me?" People understand there is value in big data; now it is about putting the concept into action and seeing a measurable business return from it. Airlines and aftermarket providers are looking for outcomes. And in seeking tangible wins, they are discovering that silos need to come down for the benefits to be realized. For airlines, this often means connecting the dots between operations, tech ops, purchasing and planning, for example. "We believe connecting the ecosystem within an airline is an important part of optimizing and getting costs out," says Stan Deal, Boeing Global Services president and CEO. Big Or Little Data? The first step in connecting a network of devices, machines, sensors, software and people is ensuring access to the needed data. "Less than 10% of data" is used in aviation, estimates Chris Rospenda, IBM's worldwide transportation leader for connected operations. He says some "operators are still trying to find the nuggets and don't know what questions to ask," but others are exploring how data "can provide operational efficiencies" beyond just following a gut instinct. AAR's new digital leader agrees that a lot of potentially useful data is not used and sees information locked up in three places. The first of these is on paper. "There are still many different processes [in which] AAR requires us to use paperwork. Much of it driven by the FAA," says Andrew Kemmetmueller, chief digital officer. To unlock the information trapped on paper, AAR is converting it to "structured data and applying it moving forward" in a paperless environment. The second place data is trapped is in AAR's multiple enterprise resource planning systems, and the third is in peoples' heads, "tribal knowledge that we have inside subject-matter experts," he says. To retrieve that gated information, "we need to capture more information consistently in an electronic format during processes" by interviewing mechanics to understand the "why and the how" of what is being done beyond FAA requirements, he says. In addition to access, another issue with aviation data is the sheer quantity of it, and when to take the data off of aircraft and how. While some airlines have throttled back the amount transmitted during flight, "the data per aircraft is still going up" and the amount of maintenance and engine data coming off aircraft is still the highest it has ever been, says Joel Otto, Rockwell Collins Information Management Services vice president of strategy and business development. Those numbers will only increase as new- generation aircraft enter service. Data Pipes Trends in the Internet of Things for aviation, or Connected Aerospace, are enabling greater capabilities: Ethernet and now broadband for aircraft, so there are bigger pipes, that are more affordable. Otto thinks connectivity choices will continue to evolve and be driven by forces beyond aviation: "Aviation will draft off of those technologies." The Connected Aerospace journey will be like that of the cell phone, says Otto. We will get more data for less money as time goes on and the technologies, such as apps, will drive new opportunities. Gogo, which rolled out 2Ku service in 2015, sees the next couple of years as "the years of data for us. We're looking to put aircraft data to work" to enable aircraft to fly safer and more efficiently, says T.J. Horsager, Gogo's director of connected aircraft. "Fusing data and broadband is a killer match." And with 2Ku technology, "we can send more contextual information so data analytics folks can better assess how that asset is performing," he says. Outcomes An example is Gogo's membership in NASA's Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR) program, which is designed to improve the process of how pilots request flight path and altitude changes. Horsager says TASAR in real time displays lateral, vertical or a combination of trajectory changes and makes suggestions to pilots based on fuel, time, or fuel and time savings. Gogo is supplying the broadband data and fusing it with weather on trial flights by Alaska Airlines, which will continue throughout this year. "This is a fantastic example of how aircraft data and broadband can be used in a single application," says Horsager. Gogo, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins all are working on turbulence- avoidance options via connectivity. For MROs, expect to see a shift from snapshot reports-including data from a point in time, such as what is available from the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system-to "a full context of what took place" around an event, says Horsager. "With broadband, the old barriers are being shattered. As an industry, we need to look at how larger data sets can be leveraged," he says. Horsager thinks further data-sharing across airlines is coming and predicts "over the next two years that position will soften, at least for smaller data sets." Rolls-Royce sees that its products, services and digital capabilities are overlapping and will reach the point where they could converge, says Richard Goodhead, senior vice president for marketing. "Getting a pipe of data from the engine, as well as its context," and using cloud-computing technology's "sheer ability to crunch all of that data" produces useful outcomes. As an example, he cites a flight scenario from London to Sydney, with a stopover in Singapore. On the first leg, Rolls could see a "strange data characteristic" coming from a fuel pump. It could ascertain that the signal indeed showed a problem, but also know "the fuel pump only has a few more cycles before it needs to be replaced," says Goodhead. While the diagnostic piece might not be groundbreaking, with the contextual data it can figure out that the required part is in Singapore. It also could connect a mechanic through virtual reality to its Derby, England, engineers and stream back repair instructions. In this case, Rolls also would know there was enough time to swap the part in Singapore without causing a delay on the second leg. That's connecting a problem and solutions seamlessly in a new way. Like Rolls-Royce, GE's Internet of Things objectives are to increase asset reliability and reduce unscheduled removals and disruptions for customers. "The power of data science is amazing, and it's evolving fast," says Jayesh Shanbhag, executive director of GE Aviation's services digital strategy. It is about being able to connect the dots and see outcomes from disconnected data sets that were not possible before. An analytics example is occurring with Emirates Boeing 777s. GE analyzed the GE90 engine's performance and focused on a turbine nozzle's cumulative distress over time. This metric was higher than the global fleet average due to a challenging operating environment. By making changes to that part's maintenance, Emirates saw a 56% decrease in unscheduled engine removals and a 15% decrease in overhauls. While "the idea is to expand to other parts," the intent is to expand only to key parts that cause disruptions, says Shanbhag. "The key for all of this will be data," he adds. Given customer feedback, GE developed an app to help customers visualize data and see how their operational parameters compare to the global fleet's. Called Flight Phase Analyzer, Shanbhag says, "This helps them better understand what the data is telling them," so they can make choices to reduce disruptions or increase utilization. Again, it comes back to creating tangible outcomes for customers-and in this case-helping them make their own data-based decisions. Data-driven decisions to avoid disruptions is a key element behind Honeywell's GoDirect Connected Maintenance services, which use Industrial Internet of Things capabilities to monitor specific system performance-from auxiliary power units (APUs) to environmental control systems and radars. Cathay Pacific Airways worked with Honeywell last year to deliver better customer comfort and reduce maintenance costs by improving performance of the APU. "We helped achieve both" with a less than 1% fail rate, says Kristin Slyker, Honeywell vice president for connected aircraft. Cathay experienced a 30% reduction in delays and cancellations caused by inoperable auxiliary power units in 2017 by using Honeywell's Connected APU service. Slyker hopes to have 80% of Honeywell's 109 aerospace systems in the connected maintenance environment by 2019. "At the end of the day, a Connected Aircraft only matters if it helps an operator achieve its goals," says Slyker. "There are many ways to connect aircraft value, such as 35% maintenance savings, $500,000 per year in fuel savings and the ability provide a home or office-like Wi-Fi experience in the air," she says. New Technologies Honeywell is testing edge-node sensing capability. "This edge node enables operators to derive benefits such as real-time awareness of issues in the passenger cabin that require resolution as well as remote ability to check brake wear," says Slyker. IBM's Chris Rospenda thinks sensor applications from other industries, such as trucking-monitoring the temperature of tires, for example-could be used in aviation. "Radio frequency identification used to be expensive, but now sensors can be less than a penny apiece" with 3D printing. Machine learning, or artificial intelligence (AI), is another technology to watch. In MRO, Rospenda sees using the Industrial Internet of Things to reduce heavy check times as much as 23%, with a combination of predictive maintenance and AI. He also foresees advances in drone inspection for MRO; of an empennage for hail damage for example, then using machine learning to compare that information to a database, confirming the empennage is out of spec-prompting a non-routine work card for maintenance. The Future The possibilities of using broadband and the data it transmits could empower the aviation ecosystem to create new paradigms. "I think we are at the tip of the iceberg" of where the industry could go," says Horsager. Otto expects to see "exciting things" develop as people gain access to data sets. "That's what has happened in the consumer world," including developments from Google and Amazon. It could take connected aircraft to a broader connected aviation vision. http://www.mro-network.com/big-data/internet-things-aviation-gets-real Back to Top Aerospace Industry Leaders Boeing, Embry-Riddle Partner to Support Tech Startups at Research Park With the shared mission to launch and ensure success of emerging enterprises seeking to innovate the future of engineering, aviation, aerospace and beyond, Boeing HorizonX has signed on as a Nexus Partner at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Research Park. Boeing HorizonX will join the John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex (MicaPlex), located adjacent to the Daytona Beach Campus, to help influence and contribute to burgeoning businesses that will bring new enterprises to market. With access to onsite startup companies with transformative technology and industry-disrupting products, the organization will also be able to foster, facilitate and impact innovative business creation within the Research Park's Technology Business Incubator. "Embry-Riddle is shaping the next generation of aviation and aerospace leaders. This specialized focus and its new innovation complex is the perfect combination to help startups strengthen and scale their ideas as part of the aerospace ecosystem," said Steve Nordlund, vice president of Boeing HorizonX. "We are proud to partner with Embry-Riddle to support Research Park entrepreneurs and foster their technological innovations that will help transform how we approach the future of transportation, aviation and aerospace." Embry-Riddle's 90-acre Research Park is well positioned to take advantage of its location and its resources to meet industry needs for research and skilled employees in the state and beyond. Florida ranks No. 2 in the nation for aviation, aerospace and space establishments. More than 2,000 aviation and aerospace companies call Florida home and employ a talent pool of nearly 80,000. "This level of global partnership is exactly what we envisioned when we created our Research Park as a business incubator. As our Nexus Partner, Boeing HorizonX will enable Embry-Riddle to support exciting opportunities for next-generation innovators launching start-ups and enrich the technology and business environment we provide for our faculty and students," said Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler. Boeing HorizonX joins three existing Nexus Partners at the MicaPlex - global software solutions leader Wellspring, motorsports entertainment promotor International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and healthcare industry provider DuvaSawko EM Billing & Management Solutions. Launched in April 2017, Boeing HorizonX uncovers and accelerates potentially transformative aerospace technologies, manufacturing innovations and emerging business models. The pathfinder organization invests in new ventures and startups, seeks unique business opportunities for Boeing's aerospace technology, and assesses aerospace industry disruption. Its investment portfolio is made up of companies specializing in autonomous systems, energy storage, advanced materials, augmented reality systems and software, machine learning, hybrid-electric propulsion and IoT connectivity. For more information on the MicaPlex, go to erau.edu/micaplex. For more information about Boeing HorizonX, go to boeing.com/horizonx. https://news.erau.edu/headlines/aerospace-industry-leaders-boeing-embry-riddle-partner-to- support-tech-startups-at-research-park/ Back to Top One-Third of GE Aviation's New Turboprop Engine Will Consist of 3D Printed Metal Components A new entry from GE Reports breaks down how 3D printing technology is responsible for a new era in the field of aircraft design, and GE Aviation has been along on the ride for years. The General Electric subsidiary, one of the top aircraft engine suppliers in the world, has long been using 3D printing technology to make components for its jet engines, including the FATE engine and the ATP engine. In December, GE Aviation began testing a new advanced turboprop engine called the GE Catalyst, which is special because over one third of it will eventually be 3D printed using a variety of metals. The parts are all being printed at GE Aviation's 150,000-square-foot Additive Technology Center (ATC) in Cincinnati, which is one of the world's largest, most advanced AM factories. 300 designers, engineers, and technicians work at the ATC, operating over 75 3D printers - including six of the largest in the world. "I was a little skeptical at first because the technology is so new. But when I finally went there, I was completely astonished," said Massimo Giambra, an engineer at Italian company Avio Aero, which was acquired by GE Aviation five years ago. Giambra and his fellow employee, Fabrizio Bussi, design some of the most important parts for the GE catalyst engine, including the accelerator, a combustor swirler that mixes fuel with air in the engine, a gearbox, and a large gearbox case that's nearly the size of a lampshade. The parts are sizable, each one weighing several pounds, but they'd be even heavier if it weren't for 3D printing technology. It can be hard to achieve complex geometries and internal shapes using traditional manufacturing techniques, such as milling and drilling, to finish parts. But metal 3D printers are able to print hollow, intricate shapes, like lattices. For instance, the 3D printed gearbox cover has tiny ridges and ribs on the surface for structural strength; however, these also allowed Bussi to make the walls as thin as a single millimeter. The component now weights 15-20% less than a traditional part would. Bussi said, "We were able to achieve thickness that would be impossible with forging and casting." As with many engineers currently on the job, Giambra and Bussi did not study 3D printing in university courses. According to Giambra, this is not uncommon. "No one did. When I was getting my engineering degree, there was not a single additive course," Giambra explained. "We are all learning on the job." 3D printing allows the engineers to 3D print viable prototypes, test them, iterate the design, and repeat the whole process in just weeks, which majorly decreased the development process. "You don't have to follow some true-and-tried path because it's always been done that way. Additive is so new and so revolutionary," Bussi said. "When you embrace it, it frees your mind and frees your hands. It's exhilarating. "In the past, design engineers were always asking themselves: Can the factory actually make this? Those constraints are gone, and shapes that in the past looked too fancy are perfectly possible now. The benchmark for us now is achieving the most optimal design." The technology also makes it possible to develop designs that were originally not feasible, or too expensive, to make. Using conventional manufacturing methods, the combustor swirler is built from four components, but 3D printing allows the part to be built as a single piece, which saves a lot of time. Giambra said, "For me, there's absolutely no comparison to traditional forging and machining. Now you have one machine for everything, no more expensive casting and forging forms or specialized machines." According to the two engineers, both GE Aviation and Avio Aero had a head start in 3D printing technology. In 2012, GE Aviation acquired Cincinnati-based AM pioneer Morris Technologies, while the Italian company acquired 3D printing shop ProtoCast ten years ago. Avio Aero has also partnered with polytechnic universities in the Italian cities of Bari and Turin in an effort to develop new 3D printing applications and find new ways to work with metal 3D printing powders, as well as develop a lab for additive repair solutions and one for studying metal powders and AM processes. But the journey to AM development isn't over yet. Avio Aero plans to open a new additive facility inside its Brindisi plant in southern Italy, which will print parts for the new GE Catalyst engine using 3D printers from Concept Laser, another GE acquisition. Bussi said, "We knew that this isn't going to be an easy journey and we are still at the beginning. But we are all working together, in Europe and in the U.S., and the results have been amazing." Using 3D printing technology, engineers will be able to combine 855 separate parts for the GE Catalyst into only 12. Combined with digital controls so pilots can fly commercial turboprop planes like jets, this amazing breakthrough will give the engine 10% more power when compared with other engines in its class, and reduce fuel burn by as much as 20%. The first plane to be powered by this new engine and its 3D printed components will be the Cessna Denali. https://www.3dprint.com/209048/ge-catalyst-engine-3d-print-parts/ Back to Top Airbus Applauds Partner Metamaterial Technologies Inc. for Win at Aviation Week Laureate Awards HALIFAX, April 3, 2018 /CNW/ - Metamaterial Technologies Inc. (MTI), a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, based company, was honoured at the 61st Annual Laureate Awards in Washington, D.C. for its metaAIR™ technology, a unique optical filter system that can provide pilots and aircraft protection from laser glare. MTI partnered with Airbus for this aerospace innovation through the Corporate Innovation Start-up 2 Partner program to develop metaAIR. MTI took home the award for Best New Product in the Commercial category. With the increase in use of lasers to point at aircraft, MTI and Airbus are developing flexible optical filter solutions to block laser strikes without interfering with visibility. This protects the pilot's vision, which can be significantly impacted by laser pointers on the ground. MTI has been supported by Airbus through Start-up 2 Partner and as a result of Airbus' Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy obligation on the Canadian Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement Project (FWSAR). The metaAIR technology, a prime example of investment in Canadian innovation, is attracting significant international recognition. "To be recognized by Aviation Week for Best New Product is a great honour," said Simon Jacques, President, Airbus Defence and Space Canada. "This prestigious award is a testament to Airbus' continued commitment to revolutionize the aerospace sector by investing in innovative, local Canadian companies, like MTI. Together we are addressing an industry-wide issue by tapping into local talent and expertise, while helping to bring this award-winning innovation to customers worldwide." Airbus' Start-up 2 Partner program aims to build mutually beneficial partnerships with disruptive innovators. Airbus co-develops products with a number of start-ups and local companies in Canada. The FWSAR programme is supporting some CAN$2.5 billion in ITB value return to Canada, also through innovative Small Medium Business investments such as with MTI. "I would like to congratulate MTI for this prestigious award," said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. "This is a great example of how the ITB Policy can leverage defence procurement to promote innovation and foster strategic partnerships that grow and sustain middle-class jobs in Canada." Aviation Week's Laureate Awards recognize the extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams in aviation, aerospace, and defence. metaAIR metaAIR™, a flexible metamaterial optical filter, has been engineered to protect vision against harmful laser beams aimed at aircraft, but can also apply to vehicles or various military uses. This product is color neutral, highly transparent and does not affect the night-time vision of pilots. It has been designed to block laser light from a wide range of angles and could be applied to the inside of a cockpit windscreen among other applications. About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/airbus-applauds-partner-metamaterial- technologies-inc-for-win-at-aviation-week-laureate-awards-1020340606 Back to Top All-purpose talent in aircraft manufacturing In aircraft manufacturing, much of the milling, drilling and assembly is still done by hand. This is because the raw components vary not only in size and design, but also in shape accuracy. Small differences are unavoidable in extremely lightweight and elastic materials, which poses a challenge for automated processing. Working with an industrial consortium, Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a mobile robot that is able to handle these high requirements - the only robot in the world with this capability. When automated machines are used in aircraft manufacturing today, they tend to be heavy, customized portal systems that slide slowly over the components on rails. However, as well as being expensive and inflexible, these systems stand idle for long periods, meaning their productivity levels are low. "Our new robot is able to travel to the components autonomously and carry out all the requisite tasks there. Measuring, bonding, drilling, milling - it can do it all. The robot is an all-purpose machine and can be adapted quickly and flexibly to shape inaccuracies of large components as well as product and model modifications," says Dr. Dirk Niermann, Head of the Automation and Production Technology department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Stade. Whereas earlier robots have failed when it came to the high precision requirements in the aviation sector, the new robot has no such difficulties: the deviations in its machining results are less than half a millimeter. Accuracy gains thanks to output-side measurement systems "Above all, by integrating specially developed output-side measurement systems (so-called secondary encoders), we managed to substantially minimize error," explains Christian Böhlmann, Group Manager for Integrated Production Systems. While the measurement technology is attached to the engine in conventional industrial robots, it is fitted directly to the axles of the new robot. "This way, we always know the exact position of the axles." Other technologies also helped increase processing accuracy, including the control-side compensation of frictional adherence effects from the gears, and a refined calibration of the robot, by means of which one-off measurements are carried out to determine the true robot geometry, which is then factored into calculations of motion. Because aviation components are often up to 20 meters in length, mobility was important when designing the new robot. "We developed a rigid platform with three drive wheels for the robot," says Böhlmann. "This means it can move freely around the factory floor and go wherever it is needed at a given time. As soon as it reaches its destination, it draws in its wheels and stands in a stable position." In this way, the robot and other modular robotic production systems from Fraunhofer IFAM facilitate fluid, versatile manufacturing; they no longer pass through rigidly determined stations, but adapt quickly, flexibly and cost effectively to different requirements. https://phys.org/news/2018-04-all-purpose-talent-aircraft.html Back to Top Lockheed wins $247.5 million NASA contract to build quieter supersonic jet Lockheed Martin won a $247.5 million NASA contract to build a quieter supersonic jet, a step toward developing planes that can whisk passengers around the globe much more quickly. The experimental aircraft is expected to launch in 2021 and will have a top velocity of 1.5 times the speed of sound, or about 990 miles per hour at an altitude of 55,000 feet, Lockheed said Tuesday. The jet will test design principles that are intended to soften the sonic boom. The jet "joins the annals of other historic X-planes that have pushed back the frontiers of aviation technology, science and innovation," said David Richardson, a director at Lockheed's Skunk Works unit, during a news conference with NASA. The partners are seeking to foster technology that can overcome noise restrictions on supersonic flight, which has been banned overland for civil aircraft since 1973. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/lockheed-wins-2475-million-nasa-contract-to- build-quieter-supersonic-jet/2018/04/03/b1026712-375c-11e8-8fd2- 49fe3c675a89_story.html?utm_term=.5978a0f29e4c Back to Top Norway Invests In Electric Airplanes To Combat Greenhouse Gas Emissions Norway's state-owned aviation company, Avinor, has pledged their commitment to developing a range of electric airplanes for short-haul flights around the country. Currently, electric planes remain in the prototype stage, bogged downby issues of heavy batteries and short distance capabilities. Similar to how a Tesla can't drive as far as a gasoline-powered car, electric planes are unable to stay in the air for more than a couple hours. Advances are being made by ambitious manufacturers, however, who are pushing fossil fuel-free technology to new limits. In 2015, the two-seat E-Fan aircraft made by Airbus crossed the English Channel in a demonstration flight. Following other successful tests, production of a limited line of the planes began last year. Additionally, a Slovenian-made two-seater with a one-hour flight capacity - designed for flight school trainings - has been approved for use in Australia. There are several other prototypes too, including a unique NASA model with 14 propellers and a 12-seater hybrid created by Zunum Aero with a 1,126-kilometer (700-mile) range. ut adoption of electric planes for commercial passenger transportation will never take off unless significant investments are made toward increasing weight capacities (so the vehicles can actually carry passengers), further boosting battery weight-to-powerefficiency, and building the necessary supportive infrastructure. So, Norway stepped up to the plate. "Airbus told us they need a customer and they need a market - and we can offer them both," Dag Falk-Pedersen, the head of Avinor, said at an aviation conference in Oslo, as reported by Reuters. "Of course, they need a bigger market and more customers. But someone has to start." Falk-Pedersen believes that the small, mountainous nation is the perfect environment for electric aircraft due to the number of short flights operated between regional airports located near fjords and hillsides. Given the geographic obstacles, many Norwegian airports have short runways, thus presenting a challenge for traditional aircraft. Electric planes, on the other hand, can lift off and land quickly. "In my mind, there's no doubt that by 2040 [regional flights within] Norway will be operating totally electric," Falk-Pedersen said. The Scandinavian country's venture into electric aviation is in line with their overall commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by adopting new technology. According to Reuters, Norway led the world in electric car sales in 2017 - 52 percent of all new cars purchased were electric, marking the first time that gas-powered cars were in the minority. The shift was prompted by generous tax breaks and subsidies created by Norwegian lawmakers. Ironically, the large government budget that allows Norway to invest in green technology stems from their massively profitable oil and natural gas production industry, projected to net 183 billion Norwegian krone ($23 billion US) in 2018. Financial details of the aircraft plan are not yet available. http://www.iflscience.com/technology/norway-invests-in-electric-airplanes-to-combat-greenhouse- gas-emissions/ Back to Top Smart glasses in the aviation industry: a fast developing technology The IATA AVARS 2018 Summit will be the first of its kind summit focusing on VR and AR in the aviation industry. In this article, Vuzix takes us through a few of the smart glasses offerings currently being employed by the aviation industry. The summit will provide an opportunity for aviation industry stakeholders to connect with VR/AR manufacturers and developers to foster collaboration, share best practices and use case studies to encourage greater adoption of the technology in the industry, including airlines, airports, regulators, technology providers and start-ups. Vuzix will be participating at IATA AVARS 2018 Summit to share the experiences of the company in the aviation industry as well as other examples of main players in the aviation industry and how they are adopting AR/VR technologies. Here are a few examples: Vuzix delivers M300 smart glasses to Singapore's SATS to use AR to improve efficiency of ramp handling operations SATS, is a Singapore based leading provider of gateway services and food solutions that provides services at 47 airports and 14 countries across Asia and the Middle East. SATS, the chief ground- handling and in-flight catering service provider at the Singapore Changi Airport has started using Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses to digitise its ramp handling operations and has begun introducing the technology to 600 of their staff, which should be deployed across their network by mid-2018. Using Vuzix smart glasses, SATS ramp handling staff will be able to scan visual markers such as QR codes on baggage and cargo containers to improve the baggage handling process. SATS ramp handling staff will receive real-time loading instructions, as well as allow the ramp control centre a real-time view of on-ground processes. SATS expects the increase the accuracy and improvement in efficiency of baggage and cargo handling processes for larger wide-body aircraft on average can shorten loading times by 15 minutes per flight. Vuzix smart glasses highlighted in Accenture Post on Airbus Aircraft Assembly Vuzix was highlighted in an Accenture article focused on wearable technology used to optimise the assembly of Airbus aircrafts. Airbus was tasked with helping operators reduce the complexity of assembling cabin seats and decrease the time required to complete this task. Accenture and Airbus collaborated to develop a state-of-the-art application for wearables in aerospace using Vuzix industrial-grade smart glasses to improve the accuracy and reduce the complexity of cabin furnishing. Accenture and Airbus delivered this initiative in less than a month and Vuzix smart glasses were used to improve the accuracy and reduce the time required to complete the cabin seat marking process. The initiative between Accenture, Airbus and Vuzix smart glasses marked the first industrialised usage of wearable technology on the final assembly line for a major aircraft manufacturer. Accenture's article titled "Airbus Soars With Wearables," can be viewed through the following link: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/success-airbus-wearable-technology. Airbus went ahead with this application: Technicians today use Vuzix smart glasses to bring up individual cabin plans, customisation information and other AR items over their view of the cabin marking zone. The solution also validates each mark that is made, checking for accuracy and quality. The aerospace giant is looking to expand its use of smart glasses to other aircraft assembly lines and other Airbus divisions. General Electric Aviation General Electric, an American multinational conglomerate successfully piloted Vuzix Basics Video (VBV) within GE's Aviation operations. A hands-free, out-of-box solution that allows engineers and technicians to communicate in real- time, both voice and video, is important to GE. The time spent exchanging documents, images and data can slow down critical repairs, approvals and collaboration, which means higher cost and lost opportunity. "The Vuzix M300 is a great fit for a broad set of use cases, and combined with Vuzix Basics Video, the wearable solution allows us to eliminate delays in communication creating big ROI. Our pilot has shown there is immediate value when engineers and technicians can communicate live, while working hands-free and heads-up. We can see a wide range of use cases across GE businesses and look forward to expanding our use cases. Best of all, the Vuzix Basics Video solution can be deployed in minutes, literally," commented John Klingler, Advanced Manufacturing Digital Leader, GE Digital. Vuzix Basics Video is built to work right out of the box: click, connect, collaborate. "A lot of my time at GE was spent driving the Digital Transformation, and eliminating barriers to real-time communication between the field techs, manufacturing teams and engineers is the shortest path to harvesting big returns on investment and improving overall performance. Feedback from GE and our other pilot customers validates Vuzix' value proposition; that the ability to put the Vuzix M300 into productive use, quite literally in minutes, is transformational. We are excited to hear of GE's success, and are looking forward to expanding our relationship in the weeks and months ahead," said Paul Boris, COO of Vuzix. Vuzix and Headapp partner for wearable solution in aviation Vuzix has partnered with HeadApp to produce Eye4Flight, an application for pilots that connects a FDL (Flight Data Logger), an integrated system that collects and communicates every significant aircraft and flight data item in real time and links the data with Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses, creating a Virtual Glass Cockpit. Boeing tests augmented reality in the factory Installing electrical wiring on an aircraft is a complex task that leaves zero room for error. That's why Boeing is testing augmented reality as a possible solution to give technicians real-time, hands- free, interactive 3D wiring diagrams - right before their eyes. Every Boeing plane contains thousands of wires that connect its different electrical systems. Workers construct large portions of this wiring - "wire harnesses" - at a time-a seemingly monumental task demanding intense concentration. For years, they worked off PDF-based assembly instructions on laptops to locate the right wires and connect them in the right sequence. This requires shifting one's hands and attention constantly between the harness being wired and the "roadmap" on the computer screen. In 2016, Boeing carried out a smart glasses pilot with Upskill (then APX Labs,) in which the company saw a 25 per cent improvement in performance in wire harness assembly. Today, the company is using smart glasses powered by Upskill's Skylight platform to deliver heads-up, hands- free instructions to wire harness workers in real time, helping them work faster with an error rate of nearly zero. Technicians use gesture and voice commands to view the assembly roadmap for each order in their smart glasses display, access instructional videos, and receive remote expert assistance. Boeing believes the technology could be used anywhere its workers rely on paper instructions, helping the company deliver planes faster. AR/VR are also significantly cutting training times and assisting with product development. For instance, HoloLens is proving useful in the development of Starliner, a small crew transport module for the ISS. Lockheed Martin In early 2015 it came out that Lockheed Martin was doing a test with smart glasses with partner NGRAIN, to provide real-time visuals to its engineers during assembly of the company's F-35 fighter jets and ensure every component be installed in the right place. Previously, only a team of experienced technicians could do the job, but with Augmented Reality an engineer with little training can follow renderings with part numbers and ordered instructions seen as overlay images through his/her smart glasses, right on the plane being built. In the trial, Lockheed engineers were able to work 30 per cent faster and with 96 per cent accuracy. Those workers were learning by doing on the job as opposed to training in a classroom environment, which amounted to less time and cost for training. And although increased accuracy means fewer repairs, the AR solution could be used to speed up the repair process, too, from days- to just hours-long, with one engineer annotating another's field of view. At the time, however, Lockheed acknowledged that getting the technology onto actual (secured) military bases would be difficult. Lockheed is also interested in Virtual Reality, seeing AR/VR as key to lowering acquisition costs (all costs from the design/construction phase of a ship to when the vessel is decommissioned.) The company is applying VR to the design of radar systems for navy ships. The challenge lies in integrating the radar system with a ship's other systems, which requires very precise installation. VR can help identify errors and issues during the design stage and prevent expensive corrections. Using VR headsets, engineers can virtually walk through digital mock-ups of a ship's control rooms and assess things like accessibility to equipment and lighting. Lockheed is also using head mounted displays to assist young naval engineers with maintenance tasks at sea-much more effective than a dense manual. Lockheed is allegedly saving $10 million a year from its use of AR/VR in the production line of its space assets, as well, by using devices like the VR headsets to evaluate human factors and catch engineering mistakes early. For the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and GPS 3 satellite system, Lockheed ran virtual simulations in which a team of engineers rehearsed assembling the vehicles in order to identify issues and improvements. A network platform allows engineers from all over to participate, saving the time and money of travelling. https://www.internationalairportreview.com/article/68215/68215/ Back to Top Iridium Satellites Host Aireon's Space-Based Air Traffic Surveillance Tech Iridium Communications' fifth set of NEXT satellites that launched Friday includes Aireon-built global air traffic surveillance technology payloads. Aireon said Friday its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system is designed to provide aircraft tracking coverage with a 15-minute update interval and help airlines test aircraft tracking systems via space-based ADS-B. The International Civil Aviation Organization and European Aviation Safety Agency require that planes be equipped with the technology by the end of 2018. Don Thoma, CEO of Aireon, said the company partnered with multiple air navigation service providers and FlightAware to provide airlines access to global data prior to the implementation of the ICAO and EASA regulations. "As we get closer to a fully operational system, thorough testing and validation is now underway with our customers and partners," Thoma added. Aireon and FlightAware have produced a system that will offer access to ADS-B information through the latter's data processing platform and web interface. Both companies developed GlobalBeacon in an effort to help airlines comply with ICAO Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System standards. FlightAware will also offer ADS-B data through services currently available to airlines and providers such as SITAONAIR. http://blog.executivebiz.com/2018/04/iridium-satellites-host-aireons-space-based-air-traffic- surveillance-tech/ Back to Top Prototype Satellite Launched on SpaceX Rocket Will Try to Clean Up Space Junk On the whole, space is mostly empty, but the space around the Earth is anything but. Earth's orbit is full of thousands of satellites, pieces of debris, and junk from the thousands of rocket launches over the past few decades. This presents a serious problem for future satellites: Any one of them could be randomly taken out by a flying piece of space junk. The only way to solve this problem is to clean up space, but that's easier said than done. Plenty of organizations, including NASA and the Chinese and Japanese space agencies, have developed their own prototype space debris catchers. On Monday, one such debris catcher, named RemoveDEBRIS, was launched into space and will undergo testing over the next few weeks. RemoveDEBRIS was developed by a team of scientists and engineers at the University of Surrey Space Center, and funded in part by the European Commission. The RemoveDEBRIS satellite is currently on its way to the International Space Station, where the astronauts will assemble it and launch it into space. From there, RemoveDEBRIS will test a handful of different methods for catching space junk. The satellite will launch a handful of small cubesats to act as targets, and the main satellite will attempt to capture them with both a giant net and a harpoon. Both of these techniques have been proposed as possible methods for removing space junk, but neither of these have been tested in space before. This will be the first such test of both of these methods and it could inform future missions to try and clean up Earth's orbit. Once the experiments have been performed, RemoveDEBRIS will deploy a 'drag sail' that will bring the satellite back into the atmosphere and out of orbit. If the mission is as successful as the designers hope, RemoveDEBRIS could pave the way for future missions to actually start making Earth's orbit a little safer. https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a19673994/prototype-satellite-launched-on- spacex-rocket-will-try-to-clean-up-space-junk/ Curt Lewis