BAE Aims to Help Pilots Maneuver Fighter Jets With Eye-Tracking Tech; Jean Page Quoted

BAE Systems has begun development work on an eye-tracking technology designed to help pilots control and operate a fighter aircraft.

“In terms of future concepts, we are looking at what we are calling a ‘wearable cockpit,'” Jean Page, lead technologist at BAE, said in a statement published Friday.

“Here, you remove many of the physical elements of the cockpit, and replace it with a virtual display, projected through the helmet,” Page added.

BAE said it aims to help pilots immediately assess and respond to critical data by understanding their point of gaze during a mission phase.

“The really clever bit will be that based on where the pilot is looking, we can infer the pilot’s goal and use intelligent systems to support task performance and reduce the pilot’s workload,” Page noted.

The U.K. defense ministry, BAE and other industry partners launched at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow a concept model for a fighter aircraft – Tempest – that features an eye-tracking functionality and other technologies.