Virtual Reality
Bringing a novel idea for virtual views on board Emirates First Class suites
Look out the window of an airplane at 30,000 ft (9144 m) and the view stretches upwards of 211 miles (339 km). From the middle seats on a wide body jet, though, outside views are typically difficult to come by.
This isn’t the case for passengers sitting in the middle suites in the Super First Class cabin aboard Emirates’ fleet of Boeing 777s. They enjoy the same views as those sitting in window seats, thanks to hi-definition screens that show images of the outside world via closed-circuit cameras.
Since its debut in 2018, virtual windows have captured the imagination of the flying public, in addition to more than a few travel influencers. What lies behind this innovative feature was meeting the challenge of creating a technology element that standardized a best-in-class cabin experience, regardless of where passengers are seated. And this challenge sat squarely with our WASP team.
WASP: switched on
Within Collins’ Interiors business unit lies the WASP team (founded as Wessex Advanced Switching Products Limited), which designs and manufactures switching, lighting and control systems and specializes in custom designed embedded electronics. When a business jet manufacturer wants a thumb wheel reminiscent of one in a Jaguar steering wheel or a Mercedes S-Class feel for a control, WASP translates that into a manufacturable and certifiable design.
Nearly all the projects WASP works on are custom, so creating a bespoke feature like virtual windows naturally fell to them.
WASP designs and manufactures switching, lighting and control systems and specializes in custom designed embedded electronics.
Challenge accepted
The idea of virtual windows came about during conversations with customer Emirates, who wanted to plus up the middle suites of its upcoming new Super First Class cabin.
Out of those conversations, WASP brainstormed the concept of a wall-mounted visual feature. A rough mockup was built at the Havant, UK, facility where WASP is based, and the team quickly realized how special the project was.
“We immediately saw how brilliant a visual feature could be,” said Simon Lee, Managing Director of WASP. “Even in its crude form, the mockup we built was absolutely mesmerizing.”
From that mockup, the team conferred with Emirates, landing on the idea of mimicking actual aircraft windows and using screens to show views from outside the fuselage in real time.
While taking the project from concept to mockup was a relatively easy lift, bringing the virtual windows on board was much more involved.
Emirates’ Boeing 777-300 First Class cabin
Accounting for structural factors
Feeding video footage to the cabin from cameras mounted to the aircraft (so passengers can watch takeoff and landing, for instance) is nothing new, but those cameras are forward or rear-facing. What had never been done was mounting cameras on the side of the fuselage.
The WASP team approached Boeing to understand the feasibility of doing such a thing. The WASP team then instituted a design study to define the art of the possible.
From this study, a mounting solution was conceived, which involved replacing a traditional window with a special structure to house the cameras. This allowed the cameras to capture outside views without the issue of glare and reflection that would occur if they were mounted behind a traditional window.
Let’s get real
The key to the project was getting passengers to believe the windows were real after a short period of time. To give this sense of authenticity, each suite of three virtual windows is fed by independent cameras with different fields of view and angles to mimic realistic views.
Further to achieving realism, resolution, and frame rate characteristics were paramount to render sharp, authentic-looking views. Powerful cameras & lenses were also needed to account for a host of conditions happening outside the aircraft that would affect the realism of the views coming into the cabin.
Too much light, or absence thereof, was a primary consideration. The camera systems had to account for overexposure from bright sunshine to properly exposing for images in the dead of the night. The cameras were exposed to water, ice and other naturally occurring conditions during testing to see how weather factors would affect views.
Automatically adjusting in real time for environmental conditions, the cameras not only avoid overexposure in the bright light, but passengers can look directly into the sun, which isn’t possible (nor advisable) in the real world. At nighttime, passengers can see stars more vividly because the cameras are more powerful than the naked eye. And when rain begins, the cameras auto-focus to the distance to maintain a sense of realism.
“After awhile, you completely forget the windows are virtual – and that’s entirely the point,” says Lee.
A latency of 80 milliseconds maintains realism of the virtual windows and prevents passengers from feeling ill
Accounting for human factors
Passenger wellbeing was also a subject of scrutiny. Human factor experts, who understand the effects products can have on people’s mental, perceptual and physical capabilities were brought in to perfect the working characteristics, ensuring passengers would not experience motion sickness when viewing the window screens.
Lag time from camera to screen was also a point of focus so the views passengers see from the virtual windows synch with the movement of the aircraft. Not only was this critical to make the windows appear realistic, but it also was important to keep passengers from feeling ill. The resulting latency of 80 milliseconds is imperceptible to the eye.
Future application
Five years since its debut, virtual windows remain an exciting and innovative addition to the aircraft cabin. Where this technology goes remains to be seen.
“It’s entirely feasible that we could implement our original concept of a visual feature spanning the length of an inboard premium class suite,” said Lee.
Adoption of virtual windows down the length of the entire aircraft cabin could even become a reality. Apart from maintaining a traditional cabin experience, the absence of traditional windows would strengthen the fuselage, extending the lifespan of aircraft.
How ever this technology might further develop, the views created will surely be a sight to behold.