Airbus to deploy mixed reality training on JAL’s incoming A350 XWBs

Airbus, Japan Airlines (JAL) and JAL Engineering are planning to introduce mixed reality training—involving Microsoft’s HoloLens and immersive headsets—for mechanics and crew training on JAL’s incoming fleet of Airbus A350 XWBs.

JAL has orders for 18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s, the first of which are scheduled for delivery in 2019, plus options for a further 25 aircraft.

According to Airbus, the mixed reality technology enables users to train from anywhere, without the need of a physical aircraft, via a holographic coach or an interactive shared three-dimensional virtual system.  The HoloLens and immersive headsets can access aircraft digital data that can be viewed from any angle to run aircraft procedures, all in a virtual-reality setting.  Microsoft’s HoloLens is a self-contained holographic computer that enables users to engage with digital content and interact with holograms in a surrounding virtual world.

Airbus plans to offer the HoloLens for some selected training scenarios to airlines worldwide, in addition to JAL’s utilization of the technology for its new A350 XWBs.

“It will change fundamentally the way people interact with our data and work process,” Airbus Japan president Stéphane Ginoux said.