We created the helicopter simulacrum, integrated with a sensor system. A complex ecosystem capable of reproducing an augmented reality environment. An achievement that places us among the national leaders in advanced mechatronics.
The ‘MITHOS’ system was developed by the Leonardo Elicotteri training academy, based in Sesto Calende, Italy, and makes use of augmented reality to realistically simulate the scenarios faced by crews engaged in the use of the recovery winch, for example for rescue tasks (Il sistema di addestramento all’uso del verricello MITHOS di Leonardo: la realtà aumentata migliora la preparazione del personale di cabina degli elicotteri).
Loson participated in the realisation of ‘MITHOS’ (Modular Interactive Trainer for Helicopter OperatorS), designing and producing the helicopter cabin simulacrum. This is a complex object that has to reproduce physical reality, the one you touch with your hand, and augmented reality.
Augmented reality is the enrichment of human sensory perception through information, processed and sent electronically via a mobile device such as a smartphone, a computer equipped with a webcam or other sensors or vision, listening and manipulation devices (gloves) that add multimedia information to the reality already normally perceived.
Loson created the simulacrum enriched with sensors and wiring capable of interfacing with and providing information to a computer. In this way, flight instructors and future pilots can simulate flight and recovery actions. A true simulation of reality. A technological revolution that reduces the costly training hours of the helicopter crew by transferring them, to a large extent, to the simulator and substantially cutting training costs.
This is a major achievement for our company, which cannot be used solely for training purposes. As you can imagine, the ability to design and produce objects that can reproduce reality opens the door to numerous applications, not only in the aerospace sector.
The collaboration with Leonardo, like that with Comau (Loson has collaborated with Comau in the realization of the “Exoskeleton”), makes Loson the reference point in the national and European market in the design and production of complex systems for augmented reality: ‘mechatronic objects’ that interact in a virtual environment.
A goal achieved thanks to a long path of research and development in advanced mechatronics. Experience and research are our calling cards. Loson’s work is the result of decades of work. We know every property of the material we use. In addition to this, we have a unique design and simulation capability on plants (Delta RoBox, the packaging revolution from Loson, Loson, our simulation services to improve plant efficiency, Composites and sensors: Loson products improve plant efficiency).