Honeywell Aerospace is now testing voice recognition control on the flight deck, using a rapid prototyping system fitted on an Embraer 170. The Honeywell Innovative Prototyping Environment (HIPE) allows pilots to operate a traditional multipurpose control display unit from a tablet interface to incorporate new concepts. This new testing system makes it easier to take emerging technology into the field sooner, the company noted.

Honeywell is currently using HIPE to flight test voice recognition on the ERJ170 and is working with pilots and customers to assess its usability, safety and efficiency in real airborne scenarios. “Voice recognition will be a huge advancement in the cockpit because speech can eliminate many manual steps required to execute a command, decreasing workload and allowing a pilot to focus on flying safely and efficiently," Honeywell said.

HIPE is a core part of the Honeywell “user experience,” an end-user-driven design approach for developing intuitive technology, and is key to testing concepts such as voice recognition.