A High School Student develops a Flight Simulator

LifeBeam Flight Simulator

How do you want to spent your school days? Or have you done enough on your school days? I still don't remember how was mine? :D :) But I definitely know how Dominic Lee spent his time. :D

Dominic Lee, a senior high school student who is also a programmer along with the help of Dr. Bert Pinsky, a physics professor, have developed a Life Beam Simulator so  that everyone can enjoy the fun of physics, robotics and aviation. It is basically a motion platform that can make full rotations at about 40 degrees. It also has physical movements and runs on two pneumatic cylinders. 

What is LifeBeam Flight Simulator? It is a full setup of equipment that's runs simultaneously and collaboratively. The data is first sent from the graphics computer through a custom software program that acquired game data. The game data is scaled and converted into specific coordinates for the pitch and roll axis, The program sends out the final signal which is received by an Arduino, which is basically a micro controller. The Arduino has a complex program that combines serial commands and parses certain values to calculate a voltage which is then converted into PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). PWM is sent to a low-pass filter which smooths the PWM into analog voltage. The voltage is sent to Pneumatic Valve Amplifier which controls the pneumatic cylinders to make the simulator platform move accordingly with the users control. A liner potentiometer measures and regulated the movement of each pneumatic cylinder. 

In the above explanation I know there are some terms which aren't similar. Let me make it simple for you. 

Control Components:

1) Arduino: It is an essential part of this simulator because it is the micro controller that generates the signal to the Flight Simulator. It is programmed to receive serial commands from a computer at 57600 times per second. 

Arduino

2) PVC Structure: It is the main physical base. It consists of a racing seat mounted on a series of schedule 40 PVC pipes. All the pipers are secured with screws. The PVC structure rests on a large wooden base, which is where the pneumatic cylinders are mounted. 

PVC Pipes

3) Gaming PC: It is a high end gaming computer built specifically for the FlightSim. This computer features an AMD Tricore 3.4 GHz Processor with 8GB RAM. This computer runs the gaming software that provides the visualizations for the pilot, and simultaneously run the Custom FlightSim software which controls the pneumatics on the motion simulator.  

Gaming PC

4) Motion Components: it has pneumatic cylinders and valves. Cylinders are connected to servo valves, which are components that can dynamically change the amount of pressure in the cylinders using electricity. It also has a control box that contains power supply, Arduino, PWM regulator and servo amplifiers. Along with all these set up comes an important part of pneumatic set up called the air compressor. This is the unit that pressurizes the pneumatic cylinders for usage. It also maintains the air pressure etc. 

Pneumatic Cylinder and valves

Control Box

Air compressor

5) Display components: It consists of Projector, speakers (BOSE high quality speakers) and a tactile transducer (a high power vibrating sub woofer which is mounted directly under the racing seat). Projector used is a latest 3D technology having wireless active shutter glasses. The graphics are exceptionally crisp since they use HIS 6770 video-card for the gaming computer. 

Projector and wireless glass

BOSE speakers