It has been over a decade since the original iPad was released and soon after the debate began on whether a tablet device could replace a laptop or even PCs in general. Even as recently as late 2018, the question was asked whether a touchscreen would be the new normal—but there are simply times where a touchscreen isn’t as intuitive as having buttons and keys.
The same issues are now being debated when it comes to the controls of modern aircraft, and last month an anonymous F-35 Lightning II pilot weighed in on the controls of the Lockheed Martin-built Joint Strike Fighter for the website Hushkitnet. The touchscreen controls may have streamlined the cockpit of the fifth-generation aircraft, but not always with the best results, the unnamed pilot suggested.
“The cockpit is beautiful to look at—nothing analogue, all digital with about 10 actual switches in the cockpit. Notice I say beautiful to look at, not necessarily beautiful to interact with! In theory the all-glass display is great. It’s [sic] touchscreen, you can set it up to show pretty much anything you want in any layout you want,” the pilot wrote.
The pilot then goes on to describe how the display can be utilized to show the aircraft’s fuel system, and how it can be customized to just what the pilot wants to see. However, using the touchscreen display in the cockpit while flying the advanced aircraft isn’t anywhere near the same as scrolling on a mobile phone or tablet screen while stretched out on the couch.
“The drawback is in the complete lack of tactile response. It can be challenging to press the correct ‘button’ on the display whenever the jet is in motion as it is quite a bumpy ride at times. At present I am pressing the wrong part of the screen about 20% of the time in flight due to either mis-identification, or more commonly by my finger getting jostled around in turbulence or under G. One of the biggest drawbacks is that you can’t brace your hand against anything whilst typing—think how much easier it is to type on a smartphone with your thumbs versus trying to stab at a virtual keyboard on a large tablet with just your index finger.”
For more:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/technical-difficulties-f-35-has-touchscreen-problem-184103
望一望個touchscreen搵制㩒可能要成半秒
