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Handhelds Software Toys Linux Hardware

Pilot a Plane with a PDA? 106

Posted by michael 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."
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Pilot a Plane with a PDA? More

Pilot a Plane with a PDA?

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  • Well integrated product but not perfect (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 13, 2003 @12:50PM (#6952359)

    "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 [amazon.com]

    --
    Your Friendly Neighborhood Product Placement Troll

  • Add the tilt sensor to this... (Score:3, Funny)

    by ChrisGoodwin ( 24375 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @12:53PM (#6952376) Journal
    ...and fly it by waving your PDA around in the air, incidentally looking like a dumbass in the process.

    • Re:Add the tilt sensor to this... (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      ...and fly it by waving your PDA around in the air, incidentally looking like a dumbass in the process.
      Don't worry, Chris, if you're already at "-1, Geek Loser" you can't get modded any lower. Wave away!

  • PULL UP PULL UP! (Score:5, Funny)

    by stefanlasiewski ( 63134 ) * <slashdot AT stefanco DOT com> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @12:54PM (#6952386) Homepage Journal
    Whoa! Sorry about that, I wrote "PULL UP! PULLL UP!" but the PDA kept passing it to the plane as "Bull QD1" "Bull QD1"
    • Yeah, this is going to be teh sux0r if the batteries in the PDA die while the plane is in flight...

      (sputter)
      (cartoon sound of plane diving)
      (plane *CRASH*es into a tree)

  • Well, duh (Score:5, Funny)

    by YeOldeGnurd ( 14524 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @12:55PM (#6952387) Homepage Journal
    They've always been called "Palm Pilots", haven't they? What else would you use one for?

  • Troubling. (Score:2, Funny)

    by FreeLinux ( 555387 )
    This screenshot [linuxdevices.com] seems a bit troubling. Whats with the concentric circles on the display? Is this some form of targeting system?

    Somebody set us up the bomb?
    • Seems like a dropzone (o:
      A flight-enabled C&C...
    • I was actually in the lab working on something else (an automated vending machine) when they were tweaking the UI for the Paris Air Show. The inteface features a map of Paris. If you click on or near one of the famous attractions the plane will begin to fly towards it, and circle it once it reaches it. The circles indicate that a monument has been selected. Yes, there were jokes about it being a target.
    • Oh man... I think that's my house.

  • Mac OS X has this already (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Mac OS X has this capability already.

  • Range? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by phalse phace ( 454635 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:04PM (#6952431)
    Anyone know what the distance of transmission for the pda's signals to the plane is?

    • It's WiFi (Score:3, Informative)

      by FreeLinux ( 555387 )
      So the maximum range is going to be ~1000 feet but ~300 feet is closer to reality.

      • Re:It's WiFi (Score:2, Interesting)

        by kmarius ( 704857 )
        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)

        • from the article (Score:3, Interesting)

          by nounderscores ( 246517 )
          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

      • Re:It's WiFi (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Dare nMc ( 468959 )
        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.

      • Re:It's WiFi (Score:2, Interesting)

        by nobbis ( 99441 )
        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."

  • New Yorker Cartoon (Score:5, Funny)

    by skreuzer ( 613775 ) <skreuzer&metawire,org> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:04PM (#6952432) Homepage
    Maybe they have been getting their ideas from The New Yorker Magazine [cartoonbank.com]

  • Where's all the technology? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by civilengineer ( 669209 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:08PM (#6952458) Homepage Journal
    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.

  • Exccccellent... (Score:5, Funny)

    by EvilBit ( 702787 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:09PM (#6952461)
    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?!"

  • great... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    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.

    • Re:great... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by masteroveride ( 459247 )
      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
      • Flying a plane isn't that hard. The problem is knowing what all the knobs do. For example on a prop plane there are three levers. One controls the fuel flow into the engine, one controls the ratio of air to fuel and the other controls the slant on the prop. Engines with two planes have two sets of these controls. To fly a plane so that it will last a long time, you want to get both engines in sync but it will fly if they aren't. The fact of the mater is you can push all the levers forward and then pul
      • 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.

        Who are you, steven seagal? [imdb.com]

        Seriously, this country needs a lot less of the Jerry-Bruckheimer-style hero bullshit, and a little more common sense.

  • Now if they ever use this on real planes ... (Score:4, Funny)

    by tessaiga ( 697968 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:22PM (#6952520)
    there'd actually be a reason for them to make you turn your laptops off on takeoff.

  • I wish I got paid to... (Score:3, Funny)

    by SixDimensionalArray ( 604334 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:24PM (#6952524)
    ...build remote controlled airplanes for one of the biggest companies in the U.S.!
  • Lucky the PDA don't run on any windows-based stuff, now a Blue Screen Of Death at 1000ft could be a problem!

  • catch-22 (Score:4, Funny)

    by kurosawdust ( 654754 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:36PM (#6952572)
    but what does the pilot do during take-off when all electronic devices have to be shut off?
  • when can we see the development of a national air taxi system [theatlantic.com] as described by James Fallow in The Atlantic monthly? i'd like to travel like Steve Jobs.

  • But I already control my plane with. . . (Score:4, Insightful)

    by kfg ( 145172 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:51PM (#6952640)
    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

    • from the article (Score:3, Interesting)

      by nounderscores ( 246517 )
      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

  • Server is slow -- Article Text (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This whitepaper from Intrinsyc describes how engineers at IBM's Pervasive Computing Advanced Technology Laboratory created an embedded Linux based intelligent, high-level remote control system for a model airplane as a way to showcase Gateway Server technology.

    (Click for larger view)

    Using an Embedded Gateway Server to Remotely Pilot a Model Plane

    Intrinsyc Software has helped pioneer the development of intelligent connected devices with the CerfBoard reference platform. Intrinsyc has developed embedded pl
  • As I said for the remote controlled rockets:
    This gives a whole new meaning to

    @$#(*^%#)(%*R!@ NO CARRIER
    Bewm.
  • What with this and the recent TAM flights. I'm all interested in creating a flight control computer, what information have people found with regard to creating software to fly fixed wing aircraft?

  • New Hardware detected... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Cynops ( 635428 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @02:16PM (#6952762)
    Reminds me of this cartoon from the German computer magazine c't [heise.de]

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

  • Linux... is the ideal operating system for a resource constrained, headless device.

    Whoa its not THAT user friendly!

  • There are PDA tools from the mid 90s available... (Score:3, Informative)

    by saskboy ( 600063 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @03:04PM (#6952972) Homepage Journal
    Real Time Tools [realtimetools.com] has been making PDA software for pilots for some time now. IBM is just sprucing it up a little :-)
  • When will I be able to connect my Commodore 64 joystick to my bike? That would rock :P

  • Neat (Score:3, Interesting)

    by transient ( 232842 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @06:12PM (#6953884)
    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).

  • Since when did News for Nerds consist of discussions of woodworking equipment? Sure, we're nerds, but we're not that type of nerd!

    Some basic definitions...

    - This [gandmtools.com] is a plane
    - This [airliners.net] is an airplane
    - This [airliners.net] is an aeroplane
    (check again. the 'airplane' is in America, the 'aeroplane' is not).

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