Abstract: The present invention provides computer implemented methodology that permits the safe landing and recovery of rotorcraft following engine failure. With this invention successful autorotations may be performed from well within the unsafe operating area of the height-velocity profile of a helicopter by employing the fast and robust real-time trajectory optimization algorithm that commands control motion through an intuitive pilot display, or directly in the case of autonomous rotorcraft. The algorithm generates optimal trajectories and control commands via the direct-collocation optimization method, solved using a nonlinear programming problem solver. The control inputs computed are collective pitch and aircraft pitch, which are easily tracked and manipulated by the pilot or converted to control actuator commands for automated operation during autorotation in the case of an autonomous rotorcraft.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for combining virtual reality and real-time environment. The present invention provides a system that combines captured real-time video data and real-time 3D environment rendering to create a fused (combined) environment. The system captures video imagery and processes it to determine which areas should be made transparent (or have other color modifications made), based on sensed cultural features and/or sensor line-of-sight. Sensed features can include electromagnetic radiation characteristics (i.e. color, infra-red, ultra-violet light). Cultural features can include patterns of these characteristics (i.e. object recognition using edge detection). This processed image is then overlaid on a 3D environment to combine the two data sources into a single scene. This creates an effect where a user can look through ‘windows’ in the video image into a 3D simulated world, and/or see other enhanced or reprocessed features of the captured image.