While Garmin adds more useful biometric data to its aviator and sports watches as standard (the latest D2 Mach 1 Pro is in our test pool for an upcoming report), Aithre works to improve its already capable suite of biometrics and cabin safety sensors.
The latest is the Illyrian II Haptic Safety Wearable, which was shown as a prototype at AirVenture 2023 and now released as the final design, aiming to improve on the first-gen Illyrian. We reported on the prototype’s user interface in the October 2023 Aviation Consumer and here we’ll report on our experience trying one out in the real world.
With good utility, a reliable full-time sensor and a fair $195 price tag, we think it’s worth a try for an extra layer of safety and awareness.
Design challenges
The Illyrian started life as an under-the-earlobe (or secured to the forehead) full-time pulse ox sensor and the latest improves on the original design with more sensors.
There were plenty of design challenges that tag along with the Illyrian because unlike traditional finger pulse ox devices that require the user to stick a finger in it for a reading, Aithre wanted something better that continuously monitors crew and passenger SpO2 and other critical levels. That’s a challenge because face it, pilots (and passengers) want freedom from wires and accessories hanging off the body.
The first-gen Illyrian smart pulse ox earlobe and forehead sensor was tethered to a long cable and plugged into a USB power brick (or panel USB power), and while the latest Illyrian II still requires USB power, Aithre attempted to streamline the interface by affixing the device to an aviation headset with removable 3M tape.
The small Illyrian II is a multi-sensor device with built-in pulse oximeter, a pressure altimeter and a three-axis gyroscope, plus it has haptic vibration outputs for critical alerts. The device has no internal battery, so external USB power is required. That means plugging a power cable into the micro-USB power port on the side of the device. The unit draws very little current, so portable power packs will last a long time.
Using it
Our demo unit seemed nearly identical to the device we initially tried at AirVenture. It easily mounted to the earcup of a Bose A20 headset and the device is small enough to be unobtrusive. You can also mount the device on the headband, though the earcup may work the best for haptic vibration alerts. These alerts include hypoxia, heart rate, cabin depressurization and even incapacitation alerts from lack of head movement. Aithre says that an active noise-canceling headset is needed for best haptic alerting performance
As for the silicone sensor pad, you want it positioned in the lower edge of the earcup because this is where it is closest to skin of the earlobe and where Aithre says will offer the best haptic performance. If you want to try mounting to the forehead, the best placement is low on the central forehead where the tissue is soft. The headband provides enough pressure to hold it in place.
The Illyrian II paired with a late-model iPhone lightning fast and it never lost the connection. We tried the device with the Aithre app where it began sampling immediately for heart rate and heart rate variability, SpO2 levels, pressure altitude and also head movement, though there’s a one-time setup for the haptic vibrations done within the app.
Up to six Illyrian devices can be paired at the same time with the Connect app, but only the Illyrian II that’s used in the Pilot position will output heart rate variability, lack of head movement detection and cabin pressure altitude.
Panel avionics
We didn’t use the device with them, but the Illyrian II will connect with experimental versions of the Garmin G3X Touch, the Dynon SkyView HDX and Advanced Flight Systems displays. It uses the Aithre Shield EX 3.0 for outputting the data wirelessly.
We like the Illyrian II’s full-time monitoring, useful data output and smart haptic interface. If we had a nit it might be having to plug the device into a power source, which means an additional wire to run up to the headset. On the other hand, the lack of battery keeps the footprint of the device small and easy to mount, so there’s a logical trade-off.
Contact www.aithreaviation.com.
