Using Augmented Reality to Reduce Workload in Offshore Environments

Helicopters are routinely used to transport crew to and from maritime wind farms. Inclement weather situations and demanding tasks put a high workload on pilots during these missions. This paper describes two test campaigns assessing the utility of a low cost Head-mounted display (HMD) to reduce workload for commercial maritime operations. This system was implemented within the Air Vehicle Simulator (AVES) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Three tasks were flown with experienced offshore pilots, performed in a realistic scenario. Independent subjective assessments of both workload and situational awareness were obtained. Results from the studies show that the overall workload for all missions decreased when using the HMD. Opinions regarding overall benefit and advantages of the system were found to vary between pilots and missions.