Dr. Patrizia Knabl-Schmitz & Alexander Robinson
Eye-Tracking in Practice: Concept to Operational Training Tool
Eye-tracking has historically been proposed as a tool to provide insight into pilot performance, although its transition from scientific curiosity to a practical device has so far been challenging.
Advancing technology has recently opened up the possibility of deploying eye-tracking measurements for operational use in flight training, thus allowing for a better understanding of pilot monitoring strategies. This aims to support a more focused development for both new trainees as well as experienced pilots in recurrent training.
This presentation outlines the cooperative progress made between Emirates and Seeing Machines since 2016 in developing an emerging eye-tracking based training solution for contemporary airline pilot training. It shares selected findings and examples from three studies:
- Proof-of-concept in an A330 Airbus Procedural Trainer in 2016-2017;
- Targeted scenarios and data collection & analysis in an A380 Full Flight Simulator in 2018-2019; and,
- The co-development of an operational instructor interface in 2021.
The presentation provides applied context for audience members to better understand the value of eye-tracking in an operational training environment, and discusses the potential, challenges, and lessons learned so far.
