IFE C AMERAS
038 aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
SEPTEMBER 2019
Another camera
in the cabin
Not every new camera appearing in the cabin
is intended to glean passenger information.
Indeed Lufthansa Technik has worked with
Latécoère on the Direct View Camera System
for the A320, a digital camera system which
enables cabin crew sitting at the rear exits to
maintain a direct view from the front of the
cabin via a feed to a screen. The creators say
that the system enables the removal of the
forward-facing cabin attendant seat, reducing
weight, space and maintenance , while
improving safety, as a night vision feature
(EASA approved) gives crew a clear view of
the cabin in the dark. The system can provide
more functions, such as e-galley content
management as well as showing passengerrelated
information such as food allergies.
“ It’s cheaper to have
cameras everywhere than
to have them nowhere”
across Android devices, make it so that our gestures control our phones
or that a look can trigger a reaction,” explains Leader.
He adds that passengers expect airlines to keep up with the user
experience of their devices when on the ground. As Leader points out,
having cameras installed ahead of when they might be used helps airlines
keep up with modern technology trends, while complying with the long
approvals and certification processes that govern the industry.
“It’s intelligent of Panasonic and of Thales to embed cameras in their
systems,” he adds, explaining that if cameras aren’t included at the time of
manufacture it can cost millions upon millions to re-fit and re-certify
equipment with cameras at a later date. “It’s cheaper to have them
everywhere than to have them nowhere,” Leader says.
A simple solution is that some airlines have put covers
over the cameras, until they are ready to be put into
service. Singapore Airlines and United Airlines
have both implemented camera cover programs,
partly so that passengers keen for privacy do
not accidentally damage their IFE display when
THE DIRECT VIEW CAMERA
SYSTEM SEE ABOVE RIGHT
IS BEING DEMONSTRATED
IN A GALLEY DEVELOPED BY
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK AND
DIEHL AEROSYSTEMS
The Airport of
the Future Today
seminar at APEX Expo
will look at biometrics,
intelligence, and the
seamless airline
experience
covering the camera lens. The covers are simple to
remove so that the cameras can be quickly uncovered
and activated if a use-case for them arises.
Leader adds that he is unaware of any actual
incidents of passengers damaging cameras, but that
there were posts on Twitter suggesting that
passengers should cover the cameras themselves
using sticky tape or sticky notes, or similar fixes. He
states that any time you put an adhesive on a camera
it is difficult to bring the picture back to original
quality, and the process can involve a lot of work.
In response to press coverage of the in-seat
cameras, the APEX association published a statement
highlighting a number of useful applications for the
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com