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Pilot a Plane with a PDA?

Posted by michael on from the hot-sync dept.

An anonymous reader writes "This whitepaper describes how engineers at IBM's Pervasive Computing Advanced Technology Laboratory created a Linux-based, intelligent, remote control system for a model airplane as a way to showcase gateway server technology. The onboard computer controls various navigational equipment and interfaces to a wireless access point and PDA. The user can control the plane through handheld wireless technology. A 3-dimensional virtual flight environment tracks the plane's flight and provides a gps-based autopilot function. The environment is based on LandSAT maps and gives the user a virtual view of the flight from the cockpit of the plane, which can be augmented by real-time updates from an onboard camera. The article briefly introduces "gateway server" concepts, describes the embedded hardware and software architecture, explains how the IBM developers implemented the control systems, and includes lots of cool photos."

25 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Well integrated product but not perfect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    "I have had the iQue 3600 for over a week and have taken several trips with it ranging from a few miles to over 300 miles long. In most cases, the iQue 3600 can be relied on to give you correct directions to your destination. However the map database does occasionally show its quirks. On at least two occasions, I was advised to take a particular road but the displayed name was incorrect even though the actual direction to the destination was, as it turned out later, correct." - Amazon

    --
    Your Friendly Neighborhood Product Placement Troll
  2. Add the tilt sensor to this... by ChrisGoodwin · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...and fly it by waving your PDA around in the air, incidentally looking like a dumbass in the process.

    --
    Pretend there is some witty statement here.
  3. PULL UP PULL UP! by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 4, Funny

    Whoa! Sorry about that, I wrote "PULL UP! PULLL UP!" but the PDA kept passing it to the plane as "Bull QD1" "Bull QD1"

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  4. Well, duh by YeOldeGnurd · · Score: 5, Funny

    They've always been called "Palm Pilots", haven't they? What else would you use one for?

    --
    ...Nothing interesting here. Just move along...
  5. Range? by phalse+phace · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone know what the distance of transmission for the pda's signals to the plane is?

  6. New Yorker Cartoon by skreuzer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe they have been getting their ideas from The New Yorker Magazine

  7. Where's all the technology? by civilengineer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    From your wireless PDA, you could turn on lights, set your VCR, monitor your alarm system, or even fly a plane.

    Its 2003 and I can't even control my alarm clock with my computer. It looks like I won't have computer controlled devices at home anytime before 2010. Anyway, this PDA experiment is keeping my hopes alive.

    --

    New year Resolution: Don't change sig this year
  8. Exccccellent... by EvilBit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now all we need is a "model" bomb to go with the model airplane and wire it through a cell phone instead of Wi-Fi for greater ranger.

    Whats the address of RIAA headquarters again?

    "Can you hear me NOW !?! HUH?! HUH?! HUH?!"

  9. It's WiFi by FreeLinux · · Score: 2, Informative

    So the maximum range is going to be ~1000 feet but ~300 feet is closer to reality.

    1. Re:It's WiFi by kmarius · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Perhaps there's a way to increase the range? I guess they used WiFi because mobile phones are more limited because of the transfer rate. What about also installing a PDA inside the plane? If you install a few extra sensors and a PDA, the plane could probably fly itself for a limited time. When a PDA can run flight simulators, it should be able to control the plane for a few seconds. The transfer rate would then not be an issue (you would just send course corrections)

    2. Re:It's WiFi by Dare+nMc · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not exactly, you can legally place a high gain antenna on the Access point, getting up to 1 Watt Equivilent power (comercial data AP's are limited to 100 mW EQP,) if you have filled the specific application to the FCC.

      IBM would not have a problem getting that approved, especially for a demo.

      Then they would have several thousand feet, safely, from the access point, even with a lower than 100mW reciever in the plane.

    3. Re:It's WiFi by nobbis · · Score: 2, Interesting

      RTFA.

      "Communication between the PDA and the onboard CerfBoard 405EP is achieved through cellular communications... An 802.11b connection is used for near field communications and software updates."

  10. Re:Another shining example of WTFP by CGP314 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Oh yeah... "What's The Fucking Point?"

    It's fun for the inventor. I could ask what the fucking point of TV, but the answer is its fun for the person watching it. At least with the PDA thing, the person is building and creating something.

  11. great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So now, in addition to not being able to bring tweezers and nail clippers on a flight "because they could be used to hijack the plane", I wonder how long until palms and laptops are restricted.

    1. Re:great... by masteroveride · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Honestly i think this is great news. Just the other day i was thinking about how feasible it would be to control an airplane (comerical airliner) outside of the cockpit. If someone did gain access to the flight deck and was able to take control of the plane, it would be a lot easier for a US Air Marshal to break out a PDA and take back control of the plane. This would prevent the possibility of another 9/11 from happening, and it would also prevent a US jet from shooting the plane out of the sky because they know who its being control by. I know the risk of a terrorist or even a curious fellow with his PDA, gaining control of the aircraft becuase they found a security flaw or stumbled accross something interesting is too risky for anything like this to be implimented. But in theory, it would be a nice option to have just incase something awful did happen.

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      eh, food for thought...
  12. Now if they ever use this on real planes ... by tessaiga · · Score: 3, Funny

    there'd actually be a reason for them to make you turn your laptops off on takeoff.

    --
    The bold print giveth, and the fine print taketh away ...
  13. I wish I got paid to... by SixDimensionalArray · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...build remote controlled airplanes for one of the biggest companies in the U.S.!

  14. catch-22 by kurosawdust · · Score: 4, Funny

    but what does the pilot do during take-off when all electronic devices have to be shut off?

  15. But I already control my plane with. . . by kfg · · Score: 3, Insightful

    handheld wireless tecnology. Pulse Code Modulated to boot.

    Yeah, I understand that's it's cool that they've been able to do it this way and the technology may have some legitimate applications in the future and I applaud them for having done it.

    Just remember, before you rush out to try to build one of these things, that's it's actually a pretty daft way to control a model airplane.

    Just because we have a hammer does not mean that everything is a nail. The world is still full of screws and rivets, not to mention the odd bit of glue and welding.

    KFG

  16. Re:Slashdotted already: mirror by Stonent1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    +1 informative for a Goatse link? I hope the moderator gets hit hard in meta.

  17. New Hardware detected... by Cynops · · Score: 3, Funny
    Reminds me of this cartoon from the German computer magazine c't

    Translation: New device found. Device: Airbus A310. Do you want to start auto configuration now?
    Start/Abort

  18. There are PDA tools from the mid 90s available... by saskboy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Real Time Tools has been making PDA software for pilots for some time now. IBM is just sprucing it up a little :-)

    --
    Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
  19. from the article by nounderscores · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A global positioning system (GPS) and independent gyros are used to maintain synchronization between the virtual and physical positioning of the plane and allow real-time flight path correction. The current position of the plane is determined by the onboard GPS module and the gyros are integrated to indicate horizon and heading information as well as determine when the plane should terminate a turn. The navigation software is implemented as an SMF Bundle with native library support to interface with the GPS module and the gyros. The collected data is plugged into positioning algorithms that compare the actual state of the plane with the intended flight path and actuate the servos based on the result.

    The breakthrough isn't that a cerfBoard can fly a plane. It's that a cerfboard can fly a plane AND take directions from you in the form of gps coordinates... from any java capable browser.

  20. from the article by nounderscores · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A global positioning system (GPS) and independent gyros are used to maintain synchronization between the virtual and physical positioning of the plane and allow real-time flight path correction. The current position of the plane is determined by the onboard GPS module and the gyros are integrated to indicate horizon and heading information as well as determine when the plane should terminate a turn. The navigation software is implemented as an SMF Bundle with native library support to interface with the GPS module and the gyros. The collected data is plugged into positioning algorithms that compare the actual state of the plane with the intended flight path and actuate the servos based on the result.

    The plane flies itself using the cerfBoard it has onboard. You tell it where to go by pointing on a map.

    It's a lot more advanced than the joystick method. The legitimate reason for doing this is to show that we can control a device that has to react in hard real time with minimal user input from any java capable browser in the world. Think about how many such devices exist? My ex-boss runs an adhesive factory in his spare time... with computer controlled mixers on a proprietary interface hooked up to a modem. His big dream is to get the emergency stop buttons on those mixers onto the internet behind some appropriate security... and if that works, try something a bit more interesting...

  21. Neat by transient · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I use a Palm Vx with a Magellan GPS Companion and an application that I wrote to navigate light planes. It doesn't interface directly to the aircraft, but it has a full database of airports, navaids, and airway intersections. It's a dream to use during VFR and it's a great situational awareness aid during IFR.

    If there's any interest I'll make it available (with source code of course).

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    irb(main):001:0>