Take-off school: pilot's model will help design air and space ships

Russia has created a model of a "virtual pilot" that reproduces human actions when controlling aircraft — airplanes, helicopters, spaceships and other vessels. The technology takes into account visual information, signals from the vestibular and neuromuscular apparatus, as well as algorithms of the central nervous system for data processing and command generation. Using the model at the design stage, it is possible to identify design flaws in machines and controls. The development is already being used in the creation of aviation and space technology.

How a mathematical model simulates human actions

Scientists and engineers at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) have created a "virtual pilot" — a mathematical model that describes the behavior of a pilot when controlling an aircraft. The development allows us to assess at the design stage how convenient and safe it will be to operate specific aircraft or spacecraft.

The model includes three functional blocks. The first is responsible for the perception of information, the second for data processing and issuing commands, the third for reproducing the work of the pilot's neuromuscular system when moving the control levers.

— In the first block, the bulk of the data is received through visual analyzers. At the same time, the program takes into account the areas of insensitivity, delay and "noise" of visual perception. At the same time, the model takes into account signals from the sensors of the inner ear, proportional to the angular and linear accelerations acting on the pilot, as well as the impulses of the so—called muscle spindles, which form information about the movement of the pilot's arms, " project manager, head of the Department of Aerodynamics, Dynamics and Control of Aircraft Alexander Efremov told Izvestia.

The second block of the model simulates the work of the central nervous system, forming algorithms for data processing and generating commands to control the aircraft, the scientist explained. This is a key part of the model, as it describes the process of human adaptation to various modes of movement. With optimal dynamics, the pilot's behavior is proportional to the incoming signals. In difficult situations, more advanced responses are needed, including proactive actions and participation in multiple control circuits and channels simultaneously.

The third and final block reproduces the work of the neuromuscular system of the pilot and his interaction with the controls. Together, the model is able to process multiple signals simultaneously: monitor instrument readings, perceive rolls and overloads, and assess the impact on aircraft controls.

— Now an engineer can evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed design solutions only "in hardware" — on flight stands or in real flight conditions. At the same time, the correctness of their choice is often realized only after the testers lifted the car into the sky and shared their impressions. But at this stage, it is difficult and expensive to change anything," explained Alyona Grishina, one of the authors of the work, a graduate student at the Department of Aerodynamics, Dynamics and Control of Aircraft.

The proposed model allows us to see at the calculation stage how different variants of the control system and the dynamics of the aircraft affect the pilot and change the speed of his reaction depending on the loads, she noted. Such data helps to save time and money when developing systems and conducting field tests.

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The development is applicable to various types of aircraft, said Alexander Yefremov. It is already being used to create new domestic aircraft and helicopters, as well as a promising second-generation Russian supersonic passenger liner. The model will also be in demand when designing the docking of new spacecraft in orbit and a soft landing on the moon.

According to the scientist, the technology can be useful for analyzing some aviation accidents and for "training" artificial control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles.

— Mathematical modeling plays a leading role in the development of complex on-board systems. At the same time, a balance between programmatic approaches and the human factor is an important condition for successful testing of aviation and space technology. Especially when considering non—standard and extreme situations," Sergey Bazhenov, head of the department of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky, Doctor of Technical Sciences, told Izvestia.

Test pilots are very busy specialists, and there are few pilots capable of evaluating new systems, he noted. The model allows you to select the best options, and the final decision on what to fix and what to abandon is made by a real pilot. At the same time, there is a risk that the program will reject options with a rational element, so the intuition of a human specialist is important.

— "Virtual Pilot" is an effective tool for accelerating design and a huge niche for technology development, taking into account the individual characteristics of pilots, modeling emergency scenarios, forming adaptive training models, and so on. In the future, it is possible to develop the project into a universal platform for improving safety, training and automation," says Leonid Shabalin, director of the advanced engineering school, associate professor and leading researcher at the Center for Composite Technologies at Kazan National Research Technical University named after A.N. Tupolev — KAI.

Simulation and mathematical modeling of various systems is one of the most effective ways to evaluate and predict the behavior of the studied objects, he noted. In the future, the model can completely replace the test stages related to ergonomics and basic pilot reactions.

At the same time, all models must be tested and ensure high reliability of the results, the expert added. It is important to consider the limits of the effectiveness of a "virtual pilot": for example, a person's area of responsibility begins where unpredictable failures, fatigue and stress operate — that is, real flight conditions and emergency situations.