The aircraft of the future: towards the tangible cockpit

The future of the cockpit is undeniably tactile. To make this vision become a reality, several usability issues must be first addressed, being the most important one the eyes-free interaction. In fact, different ways of interaction (tactile, physical) will coexist, and it is paramount to identify those elements in the cockpit that can become tactile and those that must remain as tangible ( i.e. physical) ones. This work intends to analyze the current situation and the requirements from the point of view of Human-Machine Interaction. In this regard, we propose a new approach that, leading to the concept of "tangibilisation of the cockpit", can facilitate the coexistence between tactile and physical actuators in the cockpit. We believe that this approach will foster and inspire the development of a tangible cockpit in the near future.