Use of 3-D Virtual Reality Displays while in Flight: The Effects of Vestibular-Ocular Mismatch on Situation Awareness

High levels of situation awareness during flight operations are integral to mission success. Virtual reality (VR) systems can enhance operator situation awareness via advantageous 3D displays that stream data sources (entities from air, land, and sea) in a manner closely aligned with real world structures. One potential impediment to the implementation of VR devices in the field is VR sickness: a sense of queasiness, nausea, or even vomiting. VR sickness may arise from a processing conflict, where visual and vestibular information are incongruous. It is not known if VR sickness results in diminished operator situation awareness.
The proposed work will investigate whether the use of a VR data display system in an incongruous motion context is associated with adverse physical symptoms and reduced situation awareness. Furthermore, countermeasures designed to reduce VR sickness will be tested concurrently.
Results promote advancements in VR for flight operations. First, results will quantify the level of VR sickness experienced. Second, findings will indicate the impact of VR sickness on situation awareness. Third, the effectiveness of various VR sickness countermeasures will be evaluated. The proposed work is highly-relevant to General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada as findings inform VR development, and promote the deployment of situation awareness-enhancing products.

Faculty Supervisor:

Chris Herdman

Student:

Partner:

General Dynamics Mission Systems - Canada;Carleton University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services; Public administration

University:

Carleton University

Program: