Unbound XR visits the KLM VR Center of Excellence

How cool is that; being invited by KLM to take a look at their high-tech XR Lab! On Monday, April 26, 2021, Remco de Jong,Managing Director of Unbound VR/XR, paid a visit to the lab and had a conversation with Werner Soeteman (Sr IT-manager KLM) and Chris Koomen (Virtual reality specialist). With years of experience as a former pilot (Remco himself worked for years as a pilot for a development organization in Northern Australia), this visit to KLM was doubly interesting!

KLM has been developing VR and XR software for many years. They have their own software development team that focuses (among other things) on creating specific VR training applications for aviation (more about this later in this blog). What's also interesting is the fact that KLM's software can also be used outside the airline. Schools, such as Deltion College in Zwolle, are busy running pilots to include VR training in the curriculum. The "Aviation Technology" course, among others, uses KLM's VR software to familiarize and train students with the various aspects of aviation.

Werner Soeteman,Manager XR Center Of Excellence at KLM IT, states that KLM Cityhopper is the first airline to integrate VR into the training process for pilots on Embraer aircraft (specifically the Embraer 175 and 190). These are smaller planes used for European flights.

The VR training includes three different applications, all part of the Type Rating Course where pilots become familiar with the specific characteristics of the aircraft type they are going to fly.

• Virtual cockpit: the pilot is in the cockpit, which consists of an interactive computer-generated image of the control panels.
• Instruction video: the pilot can view a flight in a 360-degree film in the cockpit.
• VR Walk-around: the pilot can walk around and through a Boeing 787-10 thanks to 360-degree static photos.

"These are also the three different ways to capture content used to create Virtual Reality applications," explains Werner Soeteman. "The interactive virtual cockpit was fully created by our team of VR developers and 3D designers with computers. For the 360-degree film and photos, one of our VR engineers flew along in the cockpit with an advanced 360-degree camera. All this in close collaboration with the pilots of KLM Cityhopper. Our developers have no idea how an Embraer aircraft works, although they have come a long way by now."

The interactive virtual cockpit was fully created by our team of VR developers and 3D designers with computers. For the 360-degree film and photos, one of our VR engineers flew along with an advanced 360-degree camera in the cockpit.

Remco de Jong also had the chance to try out the virtual cockpit himself, much to his delight. Despite not having flown in a cockpit for over 10 years, he thoroughly enjoyed getting his hands on the controls again.

The VR application was built for the Oculus Quest 2 and uses Facebook Workplace; the software management platform from Oculus for Business. Want to know more about Oculus for Business? Check out our blogOculus for Business: Everything You Need to Knowhere.

Like many other companies and organizations, KLM has also investigated which standalone VR headset is most suitable for the application. In the end, the Pico Neo 2 and the Oculus Quest 2 (for Business) were considered. The choice fell on the Oculus Quest 2 because this headset ultimately provided the most comfort for the user. A common complaint against the Pico Neo 2 is that drift occurs over time. This is a disruptive effect that increases during a user session. It means there is a discrepancy between the physical place where you are at that moment and the virtual place. This effect unknowingly also introduces a feeling of nausea in the user (also known as motion-sickness). With the Oculus Quest 2, this effect is almost absent, which results in a better experience for the user. For more information about this, we refer you to our other blog:Oculus Quest 2 vs. Pico Neo 2.

For central HMD management, kiosk mode, and other development options, KLM has access to Facebook Workplace and Application Management. These functions are only available with the Oculus Quest 2 for Business variant. An additional advantage of working with Oculus is that the Oculus developers are easily accessible and have even added requested features and capabilities for KLM, according to Werner.

Together with Chris Koomen, VR specialist from the KLM XR Center of Excellence, Remco was given a further tour of the XR lab. In addition to flight crew training, a bridge training has also been created, which allows staff to learn tooperate the jet bridge. This is a movable bridge, which is attached to the terminal via hinges and then must be connected to an aircraft by swiveling in vertical and horizontal direction and by extending (or shortening). With this training, it is avoided that staff in training have to practice on a real aircraft. This saves costs and of course also potentially prevents damage to the aircraft.

Finally, the gentlemen spoke about the use of the newVarjo XR-3 for KLM's VR training. Varjo's latest headsets provide unparalleled visual fidelity in industries where absolute precision is required, such as training and simulation, design, engineering, medical, and research. Varjo has already created a number of applications for aviation, including an eye tracking demo for air traffic control and a flight simulation training. All in all, it was a productive and rewarding day at KLM, where Remco could feel his old aviator's blood stirring once again. Thanks to Werner Soeteman and Chris Koomen.

Unbound XR is KLM's permanent XR hardware partner. We distinguish ourselves by our focus on hardware. With this specialty, we are a reliable partner for many organizations, such as KLM, for supplying all XR related hardware from our catalog and beyond. More info or can we assist your company in any way? Thenhere. contact us.