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The Virtual Paragliding Project is a successful collaboration between Northern Paragliding and the University of Hull's Department of Computer Science. One free telephone call to the Knowledge RICH service resulted in five positive responses from Universities in the Yorkshire and Humber region. One of them proved to be both intriguing and rewarding, providing an excellent example of knowledge transfer.
Ian Currer, director of Northern Paragliding, has been a passionate supporter of the sport and has run his own training school for over 20 years. As one of the UK's leading trainers, he approached the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) with a proposal to develop a paragliding simulator. This would be a great way to promote the sport at events and exhibitions Equally, an accurate enough prototype could fulfil the function of a state of the art training tool.
The popularity of paragliding is steadily growing year on year. Stringent training is an essential factor of this adrenaline packed past-time. For British fans however, the inclement weather proffers a mere 100-training days a year. Mr Currer was keen to identify a way around this problem and a simulator seemed a good solution. He said:
"We have seen flight simulators before, but none reproduced the all-round vision that typifies paragliding flight. We wanted something that would allow people to experience free-flight, and also provide an invaluable training tool. Unlike single screen systems, we knew this would be very difficult and highly technical to create.
"The BHPA agreed to provide some funding into research and I got in touch with Becky Ascough at Knowledge Rich to see if they could help. Having explained what we were looking for, within five days of the initial phone call, I had five potential prospectuses on my desk. One that really caught my eye came from Hull."
Dr Paul Chapman is a lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Hull and Lead of the simulation and visualisation (SimVis) research group. As well as having the facilities, the team and the research expertise, Dr Chapman is also a trained skydiver. The request for help to develop a paragliding simulator was too good an opportunity to miss. Dr Chapman explains:
"When I saw the Knowledge RICH request, the words 'paragliding, 'simulator' and 'graphics' jumped out at me. We specialise in simulation and we're recognised world leaders in computer graphics. I'm already a qualified skydiver and have thought quite a bit about constructing a skydiving simulator.
"We pointed out to the BHPA that there would be similarities under canopy between a parachute and a paraglider. We also stressed that we were prepared to travel to Cumbria to learn to fly. You can't build an accurate paraglider simulator in a lab, you've got to get out there. We were prepared to get our hands dirty and our knees in the air. It showed real commitment on our part."
Dr Chapman and his team, James Ward and Mike Bielby, have created a realistic visual simulation landscape. Using the immersion helmet, pilots can see rolling hills, valleys and green fields and other 'intelligent' paragliders as part of the immersive scenery.
The 50% scale canopy of the prototype creates a realistic paragliding experience. Complete with actual rigging and safety harness, the pilot can use the simulator to learn and understand the controls. Extremely accurate with realistic responses, trainee pilots can navigate thermals, interact with other air traffic to practice collision avoidance, and improve skills and competency without leaving the ground.
For Ian Currer the service from Knowledge RICH exceeded expectations, he said: "The service was so quick and easy and I was delighted to receive positive and relevant responses so quickly.
"The simulator allows pilots to amass airtime in a safe environment. We can simulate risky situations requiring use of anti collision manoeuvres, flying in strong winds or turbulent air, all in a realistic but safe environment. We can record and replay tasks for analysis with the instructor. This will prove a phenomenal training tool, and we believe it will improve standards and safety."
Producing the prototype took the team four months working part time. The project cost approximately £10,000 and has a substantial potential market for the product and variations of the paragliding theme.
Dr Chapman, the collaboration and knowledge transfer exercise is one to be recommended, he comments:
"We have realised there is a potential market out there, combining Northern Paragliding's experience and our graphics and electronics expertise will result in a first class product. This project has been and remains to be great fun and if we hadn't seen the Knowledge Rich request we would have missed it. For me, the most significant consequence of our collaboration is that it could save lives. There are paragliding accidents every year due to human error. By creating a fully immersive, realistic but risk free training environment, pilots can learn life-saving skills in safety."
Knowledge RICH is a free service offering businesses access to the wealth of science, technology and innovation expertise the region's universities have to offer. One single phone call puts business in touch with the regions expert network, finding solutions to technical problems, delivering commercial value through competitive edge.
