FlySight’s advanced OPENSIGHT Enhanced Reality System products are flexible and powerful augmented reality (AR) solutions, designed to enhance situational awareness through customizable overlays and video stream integration.
OPENSIGHT supports layered data visualization, 3D rendering, and real-time enhancement tools such as contrast adjustment and super-resolution. These capabilities allow mission operators to tailor AR displays for specific use cases—ranging from surveillance and reconnaissance to training and operational planning—ensuring relevant, high-quality information is always available in dynamic environments.
The rapid progression of high-speed communications and computing power has significantly transformed digital technologies in recent years. Both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have played a role in this evolution, especially in the development of next-generation systems like augmented reality displays in the avionics sector.
By merging real-time visual input with AR overlays, traditional boundaries have been eliminated using existing, well-understood technologies that can be integrated into current systems. AR displays are now proving essential in operational environments and instructional settings.
Defining Augmented Reality Displays
Augmented Reality blends cutting-edge software and real-world environments to create a unified view combining real and computer-generated elements. For instance, a topographical map could be overlaid with supplementary data layers offering precise details, such as specific address references.
This approach results in a more comprehensive view of the environment, enabling users to access actual and virtual information simultaneously.
The primary distinction between Virtual Reality and AR lies in the user experience. VR immerses users entirely, removing them from their actual surroundings. In contrast, AR enhances real-world engagement by adding data-rich overlays while maintaining situational awareness.
How AR Displays Function
To operate an AR headset or mounted display—such as an augmented reality heads-up display—three main components are necessary. First, a light source is essential; in these cases, the display provides it. Then, optical components like lenses allow the human eye to clearly perceive the projected information.
Microdisplays serve as the light source in AR screens, utilizing technologies like OLEDs or LCDs. For head-mounted units with 3D visualization, two separate displays present slightly different images to each eye, creating a stereoscopic effect. Holography is adding an impressive level of realism and visual depth to AR displays, although this remains more common in commercial products and fully immersive VR setups.
One of the technical hurdles for head-mounted AR systems has been visual distortions such as field curvature, chromatic aberration, and spherical distortion. Addressing these issues has become a focal point in the development of such systems, as inadequate correction can result in unclear or warped images.
Types of AR Displays – Heads-Up Displays (HUDs)
HUDs are transparent screens that present data without requiring the viewer to shift focus or look away from their primary field of view. In aviation, for example, pilots receive real-time updates on metrics like altitude, velocity, and direction—all while maintaining a forward view through the HUD.
Among the most recognized AR technologies is the heads-up display. Originally developed for military aviation, HUDs remain fundamental in contemporary aircraft systems. HUDs provide data directly to users while still allowing interaction with the physical environment. This makes them especially effective and easy to use.
These systems are now essential in critical service sectors such as firefighting, aviation, policing, and military operations. The ability to layer extra information over limited visual data can be crucial, especially in scenarios where environmental factors obscure vision.
Consider a helicopter crew monitoring a wildfire, where heavy smoke and haze obstruct visibility. An overlaid data layer—like detailed topographical information—can help pinpoint danger zones and assist with search and rescue activities.
This principle also supports law enforcement operations. Tools like FlySight’s OPENSIGHT enable officers to identify and track vehicles even in dense urban environments by isolating license plate data from background noise. This significantly improves operational effectiveness and situational awareness.
In policing, AR displays can enhance event monitoring, streamline traffic control, and filter out unnecessary data, leading to more focused and efficient missions. These improvements also contribute to cost savings, maximizing the utility of aerial assets.
In aviation maintenance, AR displays are applied to various operations, including ground handling, component repairs, and aircraft construction. What appears to be a solid panel might conceal internal systems—AR overlays allow technicians to visualize internal structures without disassembling the entire aircraft. This targeted insight improves accuracy and saves both time and resources.
Training is another key application, providing pilots, engineers, and maintenance crews with an efficient way to understand new aircraft systems quickly.
HUDs now appear in many civilian contexts, notably the automotive sector, where they are featured in high-end vehicle models.
Tailored AR Displays with OPENSIGHT
Touch-sensitive AR screens are particularly effective in airborne systems, such as those onboard helicopters. With selectable layers and 3D-rendered views, these displays can be tailored precisely to the user’s requirements. This flexibility is central to FlySight’s OPENSIGHT technology.
OPENSIGHT is continuously developing. The Enhanced Reality version integrates video processing features like contrast optimization and super-resolution, offering a more advanced visual toolset.
