It's called the Remote Tower, and when it goes into service this fall, air traffic controllers in Sundsvall, Sweden will huddle underneath those massive screens and direct flights into the Örnsköldsvik airport from over 60 miles away.
The Sundsvall Remote Tower Center is the first remote-controlled air traffic control location in the world, and it just received approval from Swedish air navigation service provider LFV to handle all "critical flight safety aspects".
Developed by Saab, the Remote Tower incorporates high definition cameras on the ground in Örnsköldsvik, each with pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities. Weather sensors, microphones, signal light guns, and a host of other equipment will allow the remote teams to do their jobs, just as if they were on location.
The system was designed for rural airports and older facilities that can't justify the expense of building a new tower. Naturally, it's designed for airports with minimal traffic, but it could also be used to expand the capabilities of an existing airport since it can be moved and repositioned easily. Now if they can just port that into air traffic controller's homes, they won't have to get out of their PJs to go to work.