Navigator 2


Project Description

Navigator 2 is a multimedia wearable computer for a Boeing aircraft inspection application. It is used by US Air Force personnel. An inspector uses the system to examine the skin of a KC 135 aircraft for cracks and corrosion during introduction to depot-level maintenence. The location and type of each defect found is recorded on the Navigator 2 (using a graphical representation of the aircraft as a location indicator). This type of inspection requires crawling over all of the aircraft's skin, typically standing on a "cherry picker" but also attached via safety harness and standing on top of the aircraft. The primary input is a joystick providing general 2-dimensional input that is useful for positioning on the geographic-based input where location is important. The joystick is used in conjunction with speech to mark discrepencies. Field evaluations for aircraft inspection at McClellan Air Force Base indicate not only approximately a 20 percent savings in inspection time but also a dramtically reduced inspection data entry time from hours to minutes.


Last updated on 19 July 1997