Videoconferencing from a plane

Citation

(1999), "Videoconferencing from a plane", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 71 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1999.12771caf.004

Videoconferencing from a plane

Videoconferencing from a plane

Keywords Aircraft, Picture, Videoconferencing

A live demonstration of videoconferencing between a group of participants in an aircraft flying two miles above the Earth, and another group on the ground, has taken place in Italy. The success of the trial will have a significant impact on the future of multimedia in aviation, eventually enabling aircraft manufacturers to meet the demand of airlines for on-board multimedia services to improve safety, security and service. Videoconferencing company, PictureTel, collaborated with the Gennan Aerospace Centre (DLR), to enable the demonstration to take place.

The event was set up to prove the feasibility of future multimedia communications to and from aircraft, via satellite (Plate 1). This technology will bring several new benefits to air travellers, including business videoconferencing, high-speed Internet access, entertainment such as video-on-demand, and emergency telemedicine via videoconferencing for air ambulances and passenger aircraft.

To show what is currently possible in aeronautical multimedia communications, an in-flight emergency was simulated on a Do-288 research aircraft which took off from Rome. A passenger, represented by a dummy, was "suddenly taken ill" with a life-threatening medical condition. Using a PictureTel videoconferencing system, the aircraft crew consulted a specialist from the Surgical Department of the Tubingen University Clinic, in Germany, who was able to see the "patient" live and give instructions for treatment.

How it was done

In addition to a PictureTel Live200 PC-based videoconferencing system, the aircraft was fitted with a special swivelling antenna transmitting data to the Italian satellite ITALSAT F2. The satellite then forwarded the video and medical data to the ground station in Rome. From there, the data were transmitted by ISDN at a speed of 384kbps to the PictureTel Concorde 4200 videoconferencing system at the Tubingen University Clinic, where a team of medical experts was on hand.

Plate 1 A live demonstration of emergency telemedicine via PictureTel videoconferencing, between a group of participants in an aircraft two miles above the Earth and another group on the ground

The doctors at the clinic were able to view ultrasound scans taken in the aircraft, and monitor all the vital functions of the patient on a bio-monitor, via the videoconferencing system.

The demonstration was part of the European research project Satellite EHF Communications for Mobile Multimedia Services/ACTSBroadband Aeronautical Terminal Experiment (SECOMS/ABATE), which focuses on the transmission of high data rates to and from ground vehicles and aircraft.

Radio contact between the aircraft and the satellite is in the K/Ka band (20/30 GHz). The aircraft is fitted with a gain antenna, with a beam width of approximately 5^o , which points towards the satellite. Transmission is achieved with a combination of GTF data, avionic data from the aircraft and a PAT (pointing, acquisition and tracking) algorithm based on the received power. The transmission rate to the ground station is 512kbps, which enables excellent picture quality for videoconferencing, fast Internet and data transfer, and some telemetry transfers (e.g. aircraft position).

Researchers are currently planning and dimensioning five satellites to be launched in a geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000km. The satellite system, known as EuroSkyWay, will serve the whole of Europe with multimedia services from 2001 onwards, and will provide subscribers with a wide range of services such as high speed Internet access, videoconferencing, video on demand and ISDN telephony.

Thirteen institutions and companies from Germany, the UK, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and the USA are involved in the research project, which is managed by the Italian company Alenia Aerospazio. PictureTel supports the project through the supply of videoconferencing technology, including special cameras, multiplexers, microphones and videoconferencing systems.

As early as October 1995, PictureTel equipped the Columbia space shuttle with an interactive videoconferencing system, enabling astronauts and NASA personnel to communicate visually. Until that time, ground personnel could see the astronauts on-screen during space flights but the astronauts had no visual communication with the ground.

The two-way video communication significantly improved the efficiency of collaboration between the astronauts and NASA physicists and scientists on the ground, who could now demonstrate experiments to the astronauts, and follow the results live. The astronauts were also able to speak to their families on-screen ­ a major social element during long missions.

Details on the PictureTel Web site: http://www.picturetel.com or Tel: +44 (0)1753 723701.