SITIS Topic Details |
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| Proposals Accepted: | |
| Program: | SBIR |
| Topic Number: | AF103-029 (AirForce) |
| Title: | Digital Flight Gloves | Research & Technical Areas: | Air Platform, Materials/Processes |
| Objective: | Develop digital gloves to replace switches and annunciator panels, enable typing via simple finger motions, and provide capability to annotate real world with geo-registered icons via hand gestures.
| Description: | Warfigher productivity is limited by the need to operate equipment via physical keys, switches, and buttons and to coordinate 3-D events viewed from different perspectives via time-consuming voice communications. Pilots and flight engineers need a means to replace the functionality of dozens of switches and buttons on annunciator panels lining cockpits with a digital glove that processes sensor outputs into computer inputs to drive physical switches and buttons without touching them. Pilots and mission crew need a means to annotate the real world out the cockpit or helicopter door with hand motions that become geo-registered icons on the displays of all air crew and ground team members simultaneously. All airmen need an ability to type commands, reports, etc. by simply moving their fingers in air. Gesture recognition technology has matured to the point that it is now possible to make real computer display interfaces based on gestures such as those depicted in recent science fiction movies and to extend action annotation technology from touch screens in near-real time, to touch-less annotation of the real world in real time with geo-registered icons shared through a low-bandwidth battle network with all blue players. Current flight gloves contain no electronics and are fabricated from fire-resistant material manufactured to military specification, MIL-G-181188B. All mission critical functionality in this specification must be maintained while introducing sensors and electronic read-out components. Recommendations for the revision of this MIL-G-181188B to accommodate digital flight gloves should be developed.
| PHASE I: Design flight gloves with embedded sensors to detect finger motions and hand gestures. These digital gloves must retain all current comfort and usability features and include the computer interface to process sensor outputs for switch activation, typing, and gesture annotation.
| PHASE II: Fabricate digital gloves suitable for laboratory evaluation and field testing. Demonstrate capability to select and activate annunciator panel switches/buttons with finger and/or hand motions; add interrogation of switch status if tactile/aural feedback is included. Demonstrate capability to annotate real world with geo-registered icons. Demonstrate accuracy of 99% in typing via finger motions.
| PHASE III | DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Military Application: Develop recommendations for the revision of MIL-G-181188B to accommodate DFG for aerospace flight crews. Design and fabricate production prototypes; demonstrate improved crew productivity.
Commercial Application: Commercial applications include airline and general aviation pilots, police, border security personnel, and, especially, road warriors and computer gamers.
| References: | 1. GestureTek, Inc. www.gesturetek.com. 2. Iron Will Creations LLC, iGlove , www.ironwillcreations.com/intro/iGloveIntro.wmv. 3. Triggerfinger Software, Inc., www.triggerfingersoftware.com. 4. RallyPoint, Handwear Computer Input Device, http://www.rallypoint.info. 5. Flight glove specifications available at, e.g., www.nomexgloves.com and www.uscav.com/gloves. |
| Keywords: | flight gloves, gesture control, iGlove, geo-registered icons, real-world annotation, handwear computer input device |
Questions and Answers: |
Q: 1. Would the AF be interested in supporting the final stages of prototype development of a device similar to the needs of the solicitation? The device would demonstrate the feasibility and functionality of the requirements within the solicitation. |
A: . . . response pending . . . |
As of midnight September 1, questions for solicitations SBIR 10.3 and STTR 10.B will no longer be accepted.
To read the solicitation for full proposal preparation and submission details click here. |