Measuring Presence and Situational Awareness in a Virtual Reality Flight Simulator

Abstract

Abstract: A sense of presence plays a significant role in virtual reality (VR) usability, yet there is limited research of its existence in a virtual reality flight simulator (VRFS). Similarly, there is scarce investigation of situational awareness (SA) in a VRFS. Consequently, this paper discusses an experiment that explored presence and SA in a VRFS. Physiological responses are also captured. The results reveal that participants felt a high degree of presence in a VRFS, and felt immersed and involved. The sense of presence contributed to good SA, and physiological data identified increased stress levels. These results are an important step in the exploration of VR in the field of aviation training. However, more research is required to identify how and where VR could be applied.