From now until 1 December, Moog Inc. is exhibiting at I/ITSEC 2023 -- the world’s largest modelling, simulation, and training event, to demonstrate a simulator enabling a mix of motion control, virtual reality, and comfort that will set the standard for immersive aviation training. At Moog booth #539, attendees can buckle themselves into a flight demonstrator including a pilot’s seat atop a six-degree-of-freedom (6 DOF) high-performance motion platform and don a Head Mounted Display (HMD).

“We’ve known for years that virtual reality and mixed reality would find their way into simulation, but, until now, there hasn’t been a way to prevent the uncomfortable mismatch between what pilots see from inside the simulator and what they feel through a motion base,” said Jean Paul Warmerdam, global engineering manager for Moog. “The demonstrator we’ve brought to I/ITSEC synchronizes visual and motion cues in a way that’s never been done before; it’s a seamless, real-world sensation.”

At the heart of the synchronization is this: Milliseconds before the simulator generates an image for the pilot to see, Moog’s software compensates for any move of the motion base and changes the position of the “aircraft” fed to the pilot’s HMD.

The three elements that enable the combination of complex visuals and cues are:

Motion compensation software, employing advanced algorithms and motion sensors to marry real and virtual elements.

Control loading technology that seamlessly integrates the cyclic, collective and pedals with Moog’s motion base and HMD.

An electric 6 DOF motion platform and base employing the same technology found on more than 500 of Moog’s systems in use around the world. The human-rated technology includes safety electronics and built-in dynamic brakes.

“Our demonstrator proves Moog can overcome a very important aspect of what has made simulation challenging to this day,” said Noud van Bavel, global marketing manager for Simulation & Test at Moog. “The demonstrator we have at I/ITSEC is the basis for what any customer can have and finalize into a simulator that suits their training needs.”

Moog will also bring to I/ITSEC a G-Seat, which can have up to nine moving elements in its seat bucket, seat pan, back-pad, shoulder harness and seat belt. The cueing system is designed to provide motion cues in all three translational axes.