Virtual Technologies and Environments for Expeditionary Warfare Training (panel)

Abstract : Over the past decade, Virtual Environment (VE)-based training systems have become commonplace within the military training domain. These systems offer such benefits as small footprint, rapid reconfiguration, and enhanced training delivery. In addition, they appear to offer significant relief for a market starved for low cost training systems, and hold great potential as effective training tools. Yet, all too often the human element is taken for granted, with systems being designed to incorporate the latest technological advances, rather than focusing on enhancing the user's experience within the VE-both from a training and human factors perspective. It is precisely this shift in design philosophy, from techno centric to human centric that represents the next, greatest, challenge to developing effective VE-based training systems. Interaction with VE involves the ability of individuals to effectively perform essential perceptualsensory- motor tasks within the virtual world. More specifically, this can involve the ability to move about the VE, manipulate virtual objects, locate virtual sounds, deal appropriately with physical constraints, or perform visual tasks (i.e., discriminate colors; judge distance; search for, recognize, and estimate the size of objects). Interactive technologies include multi-modal 3D displays and input devices, real-time rendering, and distributed simulation (i.e., multiple user interaction through networked VE systems). These technologies define how the environment is portrayed and how it responds to user actions. The design, synthesis, and analysis of new interaction technologies will be based on our growing understanding of human perception and action in VEs. Tools are needed to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the quality of interaction.