Jimmys backpack? Laptop and heads up display

[HamishMacdonald]

Also MOB at night. Imagine if pressing the MOB button didn't just put in a GPS waypoint, but also displayed his position, taking into account wind and waves, on the helm's HUD. Even better, if the crew had those MOB transponders...

 

[sailflat]

Also MOB at night. Imagine if pressing the MOB button didn't just put in a GPS waypoint, but also displayed his position, taking into account wind and waves, on the helm's HUD. Even better, if the crew had those MOB transponders...

Excellent point. But alas out of reach for us mere mortals.

 

[misconseption2348]

I'm sure these have been used in the cup before. Last time around I think several helmsman and definitely some of the main trimmers had them. I'm pretty sure they didn't have as many pages and such, only displaying speed and wind speed and targets but very useful, makes life easier not having to squint at a display thats 30-40 feet away, To make one big enough so that everyone can see is just not that practical. Having 3 25" screens floating around just isn't gonna work out. Also the bow guys have had ear pieces for a while now so that they can hear whats gonna happen, and used to take mics up the rig with them.

 

[ctdriver]

Unfortunately a display that would "point" to waypoints in the real world mixing "virtual reality" and your position, direction, attitude, etc would require a HUD on a gyro sensing helmet mated with more computing power than we could cheaply put in a pocket. Estimated dev cost at least $175,000 using off the shelf tech.
Imagine looking to windard for a mark over the horizon and their being a virtual icon marking it's position. Or an icon marking a turning mark that you can't see 100m away at night, in the trough of a wave, in a storm.

I think the hardware costs are falling very quickly and we'll see exactly this stuff within 2 years. Maybe not fully weatherized, but a gyro sensing helmet... we're 90% there already with iPhone based solutions that are available and cheap.

iPhone Parrot drone - using Apple's accelerometer's to control and measure orientation = cheap.

iPhone virtual reality navigation: done. All that's left is to integrate into a sailing package. Maybe the software to drive a HUD will be an option on Expedition in the next release?

 

[Vang Tang]

HUD's are not new and this application is not all that complicated either and not worth $28K (sorry bro) You can get a one eye HUD for less than $1K that can be plugged into a rugged net book and put it in your backpack. Interface with a wifi unit downbelow that is tapped into your NobleTech / Nav / B&G's / Web. Pull up anything anytime.
A remote watch display would be awesome for the rest of the crew, who could get data from the lead tech-tician. Perhaps a wifi comm system could be intergrated.

Imagine the possibilities....

Tech-tician: "Great take-down foredeck!"

Foredeck: "Thanks man"

Techtician: "No problem, I've uploaded a Jenna Jameson video to your watch for the long upwind beat"

Foredeck: "Sweet thanks! I'm glad I wore my watch on my left hand"

That is pretty funny...

You can slap together a cheap HUD strapped to a laptop in a backpack. And you will get just that, cheap. And it will die the first time it gets very wet.

Ever sail on a FAST, WET, boat like a mid size tri?

Checked and the consensus is we feel I can tell a little about it....

Our quality HUD is water resistant (wouldn't dunk it in the drink though) tied to a small purpose designed machine worn under a dry suit or fowlies. Button switch strapped to hand to switch btwn screens.

We did a lot of programming to get the screens usable displaying...

Sensor numerical outputs like speed and wind.

Performance characteristics like VMG and targets.

Waypoints

lay line graphics

Unfortunately a display that would "point" to waypoints in the real world mixing "virtual reality" and your position, direction, attitude, etc would require a HUD on a gyro sensing helmet mated with more computing power than we could cheaply put in a pocket. Estimated dev cost at least $175,000 using off the shelf tech.

Imagine looking to windard for a mark over the horizon and their being a virtual icon marking it's position. Or an icon marking a turning mark that you can't see 100m away at night, in the trough of a wave, in a storm. Yes there is GPS but one might possibly hit the mark or loose it while staring at the GPS; or if you put the GPS down you might pass the mark by 1000m at 20knts before you realize it.

Might be cool some day but not in our budget. :-(

Sorry bro, I didn't mean to harsh your gig. Sounds like you and your crew are about to launch something pretty sweet and a very quality product. It could be done cheaper, but I'm sure there are pro's and cons as you said. The difference between my concept and yours is that yours is real and about to be on the market, which is awesome! This is quite exciting I must say, I've had dreams about doing something like this as I've used a HUD for UAV stuff before. I also use my Iglasses i3pc to work on my laptop in the bright sun while on the boat / beach, but integrating it into a water tight package that can handle the rigors of blast reaching and face shots..... well that's frickin sweet! Keep us posted sailflat. Your product is like crack to me. Don't forget the little guy though, find a way to make it compact and affordable for the dinghy sailor.

 

[gkny]

Actually, I wonder how helpful a HUD is on a sailboat. One of the issues that people don't understand is that much of the limitation in considering multiple sources of information is a central attentional limitation. For example, many people think that "hands free" cell phones eliminate the risks of talking on the cell phone and driving. In fact, they do help with some of the mechanics of driving but hands free does not eliminate the distraction provided by a cell phone conversation. To the extent that a driver is paying attention to the conversation they are less aware of the driving conditions around them. Research indicates that the level of impairment is equivalent to driving at the legal limit for blood alcohol.There may be advantages to a HUD for sailing in that shifting one's gaze takes time and may change one's physical orientation but to the extent that a driver is paying attention to display there have to be reductions in their driving performance.

I think the impairment is actually pretty negligible. Having used ODAs during about 1000 hours of NVG flight I can say that while there is a pretty minor focal shift issue and it is possible to get target fixated, the drawbacks are offset by the user's increased situational awareness. I do know they wouldn't be allowed in the cockpit if they posed even a mild safety hazard. I think people flying aircraft, or people on the racing circuit have the mental capacity to multitask to the degree that the distraction doesn't become an impairment. Now, if only the same could be said for the average minivan driving soccer mom...

What I heard from some people who were involved in the original research (as I recollect) was that there were some scary near accidents in simulated situations because pilots initially assumed that they didn't have to shift attention between what was up ahead and the displays. Once the problem was recognized then pilots didn't get target fixated and would shift their attention appropriately and heads up displays worked pretty well. It seems to me that one of the differences between planes and sailboats is the speed with which things happen. Fractions of a second in a plane can mean big distances whereas in a sailboat the time required to shift between a display and the horizon doesn't represent such a large change in position. I have not flown planes but I also would guess that instruments provide more critical information in flying than in sailing (e.g., altitude, pitch, etc.) and that in sailing there is more physical feedback (heel of the boat, sound of the water, pressure on the tiller). Is this your sense?

 

[creedence623]

What I heard from some people who were involved in the original research (as I recollect) was that there were some scary near accidents in simulated situations because pilots initially assumed that they didn't have to shift attention between what was up ahead and the displays. Once the problem was recognized then pilots didn't get target fixated and would shift their attention appropriately and heads up displays worked pretty well. It seems to me that one of the differences between planes and sailboats is the speed with which things happen. Fractions of a second in a plane can mean big distances whereas in a sailboat the time required to shift between a display and the horizon doesn't represent such a large change in position. I have not flown planes but I also would guess that instruments provide more critical information in flying than in sailing (e.g., altitude, pitch, etc.) and that in sailing there is more physical feedback (heel of the boat, sound of the water, pressure on the tiller). Is this your sense?

I can agree with most of that except to say that about 80% (gross estimate) of flying is done proproceptively using cues like perceived pitch angle of the aircraft, engine pitch, and control feedback which is exactly like a sailor using heel of the boat, sound of the water, pressure on the tiller. My experience is in attack helicopters where the ODA was actually attached to our night vission goggles, operating in much the same way as these glasses. I can imagine that a HUD would be a little more distracting as you would have to deliberately integrate it in to your cockpit scan, whereas the ODA is visible wherever you're looking. All in all, I could certainly see the applicability to the racing set, and I'm sure the person who ends up coming out with a ruggedized unit at the right price point is going to end up doing pretty well!

 

[misconseption2348]

Would it not be similar to using Bifocles? yeah it takes some getting used to, but it's just moving your eye to different spots on the glasses. It's like the little company logo in the top corner of your glasses, most of the time you don't notice it or look past it but if you look up and focus on it you can see it. May be hard for some of us younger people to understand having to move our eyes to different parts of the lenses, but I common, old people can do it.

 

[HamishMacdonald]

Would it not be similar to using Bifocles? yeah it takes some getting used to, but it's just moving your eye to different spots on the glasses. It's like the little company logo in the top corner of your glasses, most of the time you don't notice it or look past it but if you look up and focus on it you can see it. May be hard for some of us younger people to understand having to move our eyes to different parts of the lenses, but I common, old people can do it.

You never know, maybe in twenty years time, all the AC and TP52s out there will be helmed by OAPs. Musto will bring out MPX rugs to cover knees, cocoa will be served at the windward mark and sherry will be the new Mongay.

 

[gkny]

The following link gives a pretty good of the non-obvious issues with things like heads up displays. If one is concentrating on the wind and waves they may not notice changes in instrument values or vice versa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AwwlJtnwA8

 

[richardsstephens]

This company in Rochester, NY makes a mil-spec system that would work.

http://www.vuzix.com/tactical/taceye_products_lt.html

 

[Rennmaus]

Bump with a question: We more or less vaguely know from descriptions what JS saw through the HUD, but are there anywhere pictures of this? "Screenshots" of his vision?