OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Advanced Computing and Software;Human-Machine Interfaces OBJECTIVE: Develop a novel flight simulator display system, which improves user depth and velocity perception greater than those, which can be perceived via traditional two-dimensional visual display systems. DESCRIPTION: Current display systems for Navy flight simulators traditionally project two-dimensional (2D) imagery of a three-dimensional (3D) environment onto a display medium, but user depth perception is greatly decreased due to a loss of visual information about the 3D environment. The human vision system relies on stereoscopic views of the real world in order to accurately gauge depth, object location in space, and velocity. This information is interpreted by the visual system from the combined effects of monocular and binocular cues. Naval aircrews must reliably perform tasks in 3D space (e.g., AAR, formation flights, air-to-air engagement, and landing on aircraft carriers). Therefore, the goal of this SBIR topic is to develop a display system capable of providing stereoscopic views of a computer generated 3D environment specifically for flight simulator usage. It is expected that this effort will produce an autostereoscopic display system capable of replacing current flight simulator display systems without the use/requirement of stereoscopic eyewear. The visual acuity and performance of the system will be equivalent to or better than current flight simulator display systems regarding resolution (i.e., minimum 20/20, objective 20/10), refresh rate (i.e., minimum 120 Hz, objective > 140 Hz), luminance (i.e., maximum 1,500 cd/m2 and minimum 0.00 cd/m2), and integration into high fidelity naval aircraft training systems. The display system will also allow a user to accurately gauge depth at least between 5 100 ft (1.52 m 30.48 m) to an equivalent stereoacuity between 40 to 20 arcsec (objective 20 arcsec). Any impacts on human performance will need to be minimized and/or eliminated and evaluated to prevent negatively impacting the pilot's normal flight operations and learning (e.g., strabismus, vergence-accommodation conflict, visual distortions, operator feedback, lateral/vertical head movements, etc.). Users should not have a significantly limited head box to maintain stereoscopic vision. Formal pilot evaluations and human factors studies should be developed with assistance from the TPOC's and NAVAIR's Human Research Protection Official. Note: NAVAIR will provide Phase I awardees with the appropriate guidance required for human research protocols so that they have the information to use while preparing their Phase II Initial Proposal. Institutional Review Board (IRB) determination as well as processing, submission, and review of all paperwork required for human subject use can be a lengthy process. As such, no human research will be allowed until Phase II and work will not be authorized until approval has been obtained, typically as an option to be exercised during Phase II. PHASE I: Design an autostereoscopic display system that does not require the use of eyewear/glasses/headwear, which is able to meet or exceed the requirements outlined in the Description. Determine technical feasibility through experiments that address extended use from a human factors point of view. The Phase I effort will include prototype plans to be developed under Phase II. Prototype plans shall include methods for incorporation with high fidelity cockpit simulator systems currently in use by the Navy (e.g., tactical operational flight trainer tub ). While the initial targeted simulation environment is for fighter jet platforms, integration should not be limited to fighter jet platforms as rotary-wing and large fixed-wing platforms also require stereoscopic simulation. Note: Please refer to the statement included in the Description above regarding human research protocol for Phase II. PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a functional prototype of the system. Perform pilot evaluations of the system's performance and capabilities, human factors analysis, and psychological assessment for simulator sickness and human performance. Determine if the display system can be used as a replacement to current flight simulator display systems. Identify, address, and document deficiencies and areas for improvement. Note: Please refer to the statement in the Description above regarding human research protocol for Phase II. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Use pilot evaluations, human factors studies, and/or lessons learned from the Navy simulator integration (Phase II) to improve on the autostereoscopic display system design and transition from prototype to producible solution. Autostereoscopic display technology is a new and growing field, which is getting a significant amount of attention inside and outside of the DoD. Testing this system as a simulation tool, and addressing human factors such as comfort for extended use, would allow this system to enter the market as a proven display system ready to be utilized in training systems. These training systems could extend beyond aircraft and military applications (e.g., gaming, entertainment, private sector training, etc.). REFERENCES: 1. Flight simulation training device initial and continuing qualification and use, 14 C.F.R. 60 (2006). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-60 2. Kennedy, R. S.; Lane, N. E.; Berbaum, K. S. and Lilienthal, M. G. Simulator Sickness Questionnaire: An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. The International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 3(3), 1993, pp. 203-220. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327108ijap0303_3 3. Kuze, J. and Ukai, K. Subjective evaluation of visual fatigue caused by motion images. Displays, 29(2), 2008, pp. 159-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.displa.2007.09.007 4. Daniel, F. and Kapoula, Z. Induced vergence-accommodation conflict reduces cognitive performance in the Stroop test. Scientific reports, 9(1), 2019, pp. 1-13. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37778-y 5. Durgin, F. H;, Proffitt, D. R.; Olson, T. J. and Reinke, K. S. Comparing depth from motion with depth from binocular disparity. Journal of experimental psychology, Human perception and performance, 21(3), 1995, pp. 679-699. https://doi.org/10.1037//0096-1523.21.3.679 6. Hibbard, P. B.; Haines, A. E. and Hornsey, R. L. Magnitude, precision, and realism of depth perception in stereoscopic vision. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 2(1), 2017, pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-017-0062-7 7. Aghasi, A.; Heshmat, B.; Wei, L. and Tian, M. Optimal allocation of quantized human eye depth perception for multi-focal 3D display design. Optics Express, 29(7), 2021, pp. 9878-9896. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.412373 8. Stern, A.; Yitzhaky, Y. and Javidi, B. Perceivable light fields: Matching the requirements between the human visual system and autostereoscopic 3-D displays. Proceedings of the IEEE, 102(10), 2014, pp. 1571-1587. Https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2014.2348938 KEYWORDS: Autostereoscopic; Stereoscopic; Display; Depth Perception; Simulator; Training
