Enhancing Single-Pilot Operations with Augmented Reality HUD: Improving Situational Awareness and Performance in a Human-Centric Cockpit Design

This study examines the potential of integrating augmented reality (AR) with a head-up display (HUD) in cockpit design of civil aviation under single-pilot operations (SPO). The aim is to address the situational awareness (SA) loss and potential performance degradation faced by pilots in handling multi-source information from the human-machine interface (HMI) with the assistance of AR-HUD. This study utilized Microsoft HoloLens 2 to present HUD information, warning and guidance of emergencies. An experiment involving 21 cadet pilots was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the AR-HUD in different operational scenarios. Using the Situation Awareness Present Assessment Method (SPAM) and eye movement data captured by the HoloLens, this study found that the AR-HUD achieved optimal SA levels and improved the distribution of fixation between instruments and the external view. These results highlight the potential of integrating AR in cockpit design as a human-centric approach that enhances aviation safety under SPO scenario.