Virtual Reality Open Day in Lisbon

At ImAFUSA, we are continually pushing the envelope in the Innovative Air Mobility (IAM) area. The latest developments involve the development of the ImAFUSA Virtual Reality (VR) Environment and its use to run experiments by our researchers at ISCTE, Margarida Lopes, Helena Almeida, Francisco Aniceto, Sophia Kalakou, João Guerreiro.

This cutting-edge VR platform is now at the forefront of our efforts to revolutionize IAM. It’s not just about envisioning the future—it's about actively shaping it.

We're excited about the potential of this technology to transform innovative air mobility, making our cities cleaner, more efficient, and visually appealing. Our experiments have already started and are being used to address acceptance over the density of movements in U-space! At the start of October BRU-ISCTE hosted a VR Open day, in the context of the VR platform we are building. During our Open Day at ISCTE, stakeholders had the chance to experience the VR environment and provide feedback on their perceptions over the density of vehicles in U-space and the perceived visual pollution!

Here's how we're pushing the boundaries of IAM:

🔹 Innovative Technologies: By integrating advanced VR capabilities, we can simulate various scenarios and design solutions that are both efficient and sustainable. This proactive approach ensures that our IAM solutions are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

🔹 Model Building: Our VR environment empowers us to build detailed models of urban landscapes. This helps in visualizing the impact of aerial vehicles and infrastructure, allowing for precise adjustments and optimizations and for unprecedented precision in planning and execution.

🔹 Visual Pollution Assessment: With the introduction of IAM on the rise, we must ask: Will this innovation enhance or contribute to Visual Pollution? By engaging citizens in realistic urban settings, we can identify potential visual disruptions and ensure a harmonious integration of IAM solutions into cityscapes.

Preliminary results indicate that the altitude of flight, the use purpose and the design of the vehicles are determinant aspects in the perceived visual pollution. We are excited to continue our research in this field and contribute to the planning of societally acceptable IAM services and U-space capacity management!

Author: Sofia Kalakou

Editor: Kyriaki Daskaloudi