Acceleration onset cueing

Acceleration onset cueing is a term for the motion cueing principle used by a simulator motion platform. It works in three phases:

# The initial acceleration of the vehicle being simulated is replicated closely by the platform. However, the platform jacks cannot go on moving without reaching their "limit stops" and a technique is used that prevents the stops being reached without being discernible to the simulator crew.
# After the above initial acceleration, the jack movement is gradually decreased, eventually to zero (this is known as the washout phase).
# Finally, the motion platform is reset to the neutral position but at a rate below that of the sensory threshold of the simulator crew.

The human body motion sensors (inner ear, muscle-and-joint feedback, body movement) react to accelerations rather than steady-state motions and have thresholds below which they do not react. Thus, the way the body signals motion to the brain coincides very well with acceleration-onset cueing in a simulator. This is the reason why well-designed and properly set-up modern low-latency motion platforms in simulators work so well for all aircraft from large transports to agile fighters

ee also

* Full flight simulator