Efficacy of Virtual Reality Training for Pilots: A Review of Links between User Presence, Search Task Performance, and Collaboration within Virtual Reality

Abstract

The impact of user presence on both collaboration and search task performance within virtual reality is not fully understood. The purpose was to review existing literature and determine what research has been conducted on user presence in virtual reality (VR), as well as what research has been conducted on how user presence in virtual reality influences a user’s communication abilities and performance on search tasks. The need for alternative means of pilot training, specifically the possibility of utilizing virtual reality, and the importance of understanding collaboration and search task performance for this training method were outlined. Future research into the efficacy of VR as a training tool for pilots should aim to fill in this gap and seek to understand how user presence in VR influences both communication and search task performance in a virtual cockpit environment.