The Institute for Aerospace Research at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) has flown a complete flight in its Bell 205 helicopter using a helmet-mounted enhanced synthetic vision system.

This creates a totally artificial environment by turning ‘zero-zero’ meteorological conditions into daytime visual conditions.

The NRC says that the flight demonstrated that the technology has a promising future for helicopter search and rescue missions, as well as for air transport operations.

The helmet-mounted sensors and vision is able system track head to movements mechanically and fuses imagery with a computer generated virtual world to replicate the actual flight environment, explains

the NRC. The Bell 205 helicopter is its third-generation fly-by-wire experimental aircraft.