Situational Awareness System
for Helicopters (SitAwS)
CHALLENGE:
Obstacles that are poorly visible and thus overlooked in the final phase of a helicopter landing approach pose a significant safety risk. This hazard repeatedly leads to accidents involving property damage and personal injury, especially in conditions of limited visibility (e.g., snow or fog). Takeoff and landing in non-cooperative environments and confined spaces (e.g., rescue operations) require active recognition of the environment. SAR/HEMS, law enforcement, and offshore operations are particularly critical.
SOLUTION:
SitAwS is a LiDAR based environment awareness system to ensure situational awareness for the helicopter crew, supporting landing approaches and take-offs even under adverse weather conditions in accordance with visual flight rules (VFR) even during daylight as well as marginal hours. The SitAwS uses real-time LiDAR sensor as well as geo-referenced data, thus provides an important safety contribution during all mission operations. SitAwS thus provides crew detection of low visibility obstacles and potential threats during flight maneuvers (e.g., temporary VFR restrictions), especially in unknown or confined terrain.
