Evaluating Human System Interfaces in a Game Technologybased Virtual Environment

1
Evaluating Human System Interfaces in a Game
Technology-based Virtual Environment

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The Challenge

• Virtual Environments are widely used for training
• Fidelity vs. Cost
• How much realism is necessary?
• The Fidelity Matrix

Roscoe 1982
3
The Players

• Office of Naval Research (ONR)
• Virtual Techologies and Environments (VIRTE)
• Naval Research Lab (NRL)
• Warfighter Human System Interface Laboratory
  (WHSIL)
• Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training and Support

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The Players (cont)

• VRSonic
• BMH
• University of Central Florida - Institute for
  Simulation and Training
• SAIC
• Naval Postgraduate School
• NAVAIR - Orlando

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General Setup
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Fidelity vs. Cost
Fidelity
Cost
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Virtual Environment

• ManSim
• First Person Shooter
• Gamebryo Game Engine

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Virtual Environments Cont.

• Physics Engine
• Simulating Rigid Body Physics in a Distributed
  Environment (S Cullen, SIW Spring 05)

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Physics Demo
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Dynamic Terrain

• Real-time terrain modification
• Trenches, Fighting positions, concertina wire,
  etc.

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Human System Interfaces

• Desktop System
• Screen Shooter
• Intersense 3-Degree of Freedom Tracker
• PhaseSpace 6 Degree of Freedom Tracker
• Future HSIs

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Desktop System

• Keyboard/Mouse/Joystick
• Flexible use of Direct Input
• Similar to common video
• game setups

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Desktop System Cont.

• Benefits
• Readily available
• Very Inexpensive
• Little learning curve

• Limitations
• Not immersive!
• No weapon prop

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Screen Shooter

• Developed by NAVAIR-
• Orlando
• Uses a weapon prop with
• integrated laser
• Participant fires at a screen

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ISMT Weapon Prop

• Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer Weapon Prop
• Modified M-16
• Laser in the barrel
• CO2 used for realistic recoil
• Wireless joystick for avatar navigation

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Screen Shooter Cont.

• Benefits
• Relatively inexpensive
• More realistic
• Proper weapon handling techniques
• Marksmanship Training

• Limitations
• Still not immersive!
• Least intuitive interface
• Heavy weapon prop

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Intersense 3-DOF Tracker

• Intersense InertiaCube2s
• used for weapon and head
• tracking
• Trackers are 3 Degree of
• Freedom inertial trackers
• with magnetic correction
• (orientation only)
• Different weapon prop
• NVIS Head Mounted
• Display

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Airsoft Weapon Prop

• Developed by the Naval Postgraduate School
• Modified Pellet Gun
• Similar in appearance to an M-16 but much
  lighter
• Integrated Wireless Joystick
• No recoil

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Intersense 3-DOF Tracker Cont.

• Benefits
• Finally immersive!
• Lighter weapon prop
• More intuitive joystick
• Less expensive immersive system

• Limitations
• Only orientation is tracked
• Many assumptions must be made about body parts
• Relatively expensive to track more body parts

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PhaseSpace 6-DOF Tracker

• 6 Degree of Freedom visual
• tracking system
• Tracked items are marked
• with flashing LEDs
• Gaiter system, developed at
• NRL, transforms tracked
• data into avatar
• representation.

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PhaseSpace 6-DOF Tracker Cont.

• Benefits
• Immersive
• Full 6-DOF tracking
• More freedom of avatar movements and
  representation
• Scalable tracking

• Limitations
• Cost
• More computers in the system

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Future Plans - VirtuSphere

• Sphere the participant enters
• Rotation of the spheres dictates motion of the
  avatar
• 3-DOF trackers must be used
• Cost similar to 6-DOF tracker

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Future Plans Training Transfer Study

• Several ongoing and future studies
• WHSIL
• University of Central Florida Institute of
  Simulation and Training
• BMH in Orlando
• Culminating event Training Transfer Study
• Clemson University Shoothouse
• Effectiveness of training transfer between
  selected HSIs and an instrumented live training
  environment

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Acknowledgments

• Special thanks to the Office of Naval Research
  and the Virtual Technologies and Environments
  Program
• Warfighter Human System Interface Laboratory
• HIT VE Team
• The VIRTE development team