Something Black Watch asked me to make for the Yeager and other EA models. I'd like people to take a look and comment at least, even if AD isn't up. If the helmet idea doesn't fly, it can be very easily removed from this submission as well.
General and Technical Data
Name: ”Virtual 360” Helmet System
Type: Virtual 360 degree Panoramic display
Manufacturer: Earth Alliance
Operator: Earth Alliance
First deployment: mid CE 85
Construction: Standard helmet with thickened visor and cable connector on the top-rear of the helmet
Technical and Historical Notes
The Virtual 360 Helmet, sometimes abbreviated to V360 Helmet, is a helmet designed to simulate a panoramic display such as those used by ZAFT and Orb without the expense of lining a cockpit with high resolution screens and excessive graphic processing capabilities.
The helmet itself contains a connector in the top-rear of the head, though this is usually covered with a durable rubber-lined plastic panel to prevent contaminants getting into the helmet. This connector is used to accept power and data from a properly equipped Mobile Suit; including bi-directional communications audio data, head orientation, video, and rendered video overlays. The helmet itself does not modify or alter the actual video data it receives, and accepts it as raw visual information. Therefore, the video format and rendering system can’t be easily reverse engineered by an enemy.
The earpieces contain not only radio sensors, but also sensors which are designed to measure the tilt and position of the head. These sensors determine in what way the head is pointing. When combined with the sensors around the visor that detect eye focus and direction, the result is information which is fed back to the Mobile Weapon’s computer, used to send the appropriate visual data. This allows a pilot to turn his head, and his virtual field of vision will turn accordingly. The image will also stay focused when a pilot looks at a specific image with their eyes.
The visor is a thickened plastic polymer which has pixels imbedded within it. Without power, the pixels are transparent, but they become opaque with the proper color and brightness when power is applied. Due to this, the visor doesn’t block the pilot’s vision when outside the cockpit.
The helmet will not function in this way unless a Mobile Suit equipped for it is used. Such a Mobile Suit must have the sensors and cameras needed to create the virtual 360 degree display and triangulate the locations and distances of objects in space as well as the graphic processing power to render the images. This requires less graphic processing power than a full panoramic system, however, due to the fact that only the visor’s field of vision is rendered at any given time rather than the full 360 degrees. Often a Mobile Weapon’s Black Box will be enhanced to include the information sent to the helmet, allowing a first-person perspective of the conflict for evaluation. It is not uncommon for the cockpit to also have standard screens for the sake of redundancy or to allow less experienced pilots to handle the system. The first Mobile Weapon equipped with these systems was the YMAF-X15A Yeager.
The fact that the image is virtually processed also allows the inclusion of other visual cues, such as targeting locks, directional overlays, ranges, text identifying allies from foes, and other graphic cues. Other overlays include video communications, a digital clock, and even reference maps relating to the mission if available. A benefit to this system over the 360 degree panoramic display is that the pilot’s vision isn’t obstructed by their own body, chair, or control console. A potential issue is that the pilot cannot see their controls, and is required to pilot by feel alone – something requiring a reasonably experienced pilot to accomplish.