Q-Sight lightweight helmet-mounted display

November 5, 2007 BAE Systems has developed a new line of lightweight, modular and ergonomic helmet-mounted displays for rotary-wing pilots known as Q-Sight. The four-ounce model is highly integrated with existing gear, compatible with night-vision goggle, attachable to any helmet and easily altered for different missions.

The “plug and play” system fuses pilot instrumentation, situational awareness, and sensor data in a comfortable form that minimizes eye and neck strain and maximizes pilot mobility. It contains a larger exit pupil for pilot viewing and seamless transitions between day and night, in order to efficiently provide “heads-up, eyes-out” information to the wearer whenever it is needed.

Typical helmet displays are approximately 1-2” thick, and require multiple lenses which cause image distortions and add weight. The new system uses holographic waveguides to directly couple the output of an LCD device to a 1/8” thick credit card-size combining lens, eliminating the need for other intermediate lenses. The low-cost, lightweight display can also be attached on the right or left-side of the helmet, depending on eye dominance, and can replace existing displays without modification to the platform.

For further info see the BAE Systems site.