The user-Interface of military dismounted systems has extreme influence on soldiers' ability to complete their missions and to protect themselves during combat. This work focused on the type of displays required to retrieve information from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in operational situations. Twenty IDF soldiers with limited experience in operating UAVs, participated in this simulated study of display-size preferences. In the 3 × 2 within subject design, participants used 3 types of displays on two missions: navigation and target detection. Performance data was collected for both tasks. Participants also completed the NASA-TLX and a closing questionnaire. Statistical analyses showed that performance differences between displays were task dependent. Thus, some tasks can be performed with a smaller display at the same level of performance by exerting more mental effort. Furthermore, sensitivity to task difficulty was evident.
This study investigated the scalability of unmanned vehicle displays for dismounted warfighters. Task performance, workload, and preferences for three display devices were examined in two operational settings: teleoperation of an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and intelligence gathering from a remote unmanned vehicle. Previous research has demonstrated variability in operational needs with regard to active teleoperation versus passive intelligence gathering. Thus, it was important to identify whether there was actually a dichotomy between the two in terms of screen space requirements and whether this difference stems from task differences or other factors. Thirty-one soldiers participated in a field study at Fort Benning, Georgia. They were required to perform teleoperation and intelligence-gathering tasks. Results reconfirmed the hypothesis that display type influences performance in intelligence-related tasks that require the use of video feed and digital map. No significant differences among display types were found in the UGV teleoperation task. Dismounted warfighters can adequately perform both active and passive duties with a handheld device on which the video window is as small as 4.3 inches in diameter. However, monocular helmet-mounted displays for robotic displays can be problematic and should be carefully assessed before use in dismounted warfighters’ missions.
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