Flight simulation has been a cornerstone of the computer gaming market for 30 years, and visual hardware has advanced tremendously – from CRTs to VR Headsets. However, control hardware hasn’t caught up – products on the market mostly don’t take advantage of mixed reality capabilities already available to many gamers, and those that do are unwieldy and tend to exclusively work for a single aircraft. My goal with this project was to develop a control solution that took advantage of AR capabilities in a plug-and-play, aircraft agnostic, and innovative package, targeting a production of around 20,000/yr at a £750 price point.

MixFly includes a customisable control board with swappable modules for different control elements, alongside two control units that effortlessly convert between throttle, collective, cyclic, and control stick modes by re-angling the stick along a curved rail. Screen and button graphical elements are rendered over the modules using AR technology, and the modules and sticks are brought into the virtual world using passthrough camera video directly from the headset – this provides an unparalleled immersive experience for a system with this level of flexibility.

AR, VR, AI, and 3D Printing technologies were used extensively throughout the design phase to develop and validate the product’s form and functionality. The joystick spring mechanism was iterated with rapid prototyping, ensuring function. The joystick grip was developed with a series of models created with AI, Gravity Sketch VR, and eventually Solidworks, validated with 3D prints. Materials and manufacturing selection was also carefully considered.

Overall, MixFly delivers a unique and unparalleled flexible flight simulation control experience in an intuitive package. The project aims were met, and there is tremendous potential for expansion including more modules, advanced control units, and refinements to the mainboard mechanism. Use of emerging design technologies and processes was critical to developing an effective solution.