Stirling Demos Smart Grip Active Side Stick at ACROSS Forum

Between the 8th-9th February 2016, Stirling representatives, Dr Simon Hancock and Kenneth Roberts will be heading to the ACROSS Public Forum in Rome to present and demonstrate the Smart Grip technology developed by Stirling under the ACROSS project. ACROSS is the Seventh Framework Advanced Cockpit for Reduction of Stress Programme, which aims to develop pioneering solutions to reduce pilots’ peak workload and stress, supporting them when dealing with difficult situations, thus enhancing safety and performance. The project’s fundamental aim is to develop technologies that do not exist today rather than to improve the existing ones.

Stirling‘s contribution to the project fell under the umbrella of Work Package 5- AVIATE, which focussed on the development of Smart Grip technology. Stirling has researched and developed a prototype Smart Grip Active Side Stick. This novel grip was built using additive layer manufacturing (ALM) in order to incorporate an internal micro-controller board to process signals from integrated sensors (heart rate monitor, capacitance ‘hands on/off’ sensor, and galvanic sensor). These sensors are designed to be monitored and their output processed to interpret pilot stress levels to identify periods of elevated stress experienced during operation or training in flight or simulation. This is the first time an active stick has been integrated with sensor technology.

Whilst at the forum, Stirling will also be demonstrating one of its active sidestick products to baseline currently available technology and to highlight where the Smart Grip technology could take this technology in the future.

For more information on Stirling's Active Control technology, visit: http://www.stirling-dynamics.com/training-simulation/active-controls