DSTO Australia leverages D-BOX for Military Human Factors Research
CONTEXT: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF MOTION ON PERFORMANCE
Chris Latham and Glen Pearce are the Simulation Capability Manager and Simulation Engineer for the Land Vehicle Simulation Environment at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Australia’s lead agency for defense and national security.
These Australian military researchers seek to quickly deploy motion technology to explore the impact of motion on human performance in a simulation environment, and naturally simulation technologies are the way to do that.
CHALLENGE: EXISTING SOLUTIONS EXPENSIVE & TIME-CONSUMING
Many motion simulation technologies are expensive and require timely and complex integration. DSTO’s Land Division was looking for a way to create a repeatable and scalable motion platform, and they needed the ability to generate and replay motion recorded from simulated vehicles.
This required the researchers to mount a range of equipment to create a suitable analysis environment.
SOLUTION: D-BOX’S VERSATILE & COST-EFFECTIVE PLATFORM
After investigating the trade space, the Land Division found a solution in D-BOX technology. This enabled the researchers to move ahead with their research by quickly applying true-to-life motion to their simulations, as D-BOX technology provides a versatile platform for investigating the impact of motion on operator state and performance.
The simplicity of D-BOX actuators enables Latham’s team to redesign the framework for more flexible configuration of equipment.
“The D-BOX actuators allow us to make evidence-based conclusions on the impact of motion on operator state and cognitive workload in the immersive simulation environment Pearce explained. We’ve used D-BOX technology for a variety of other experiments. Usually a regular point of comparison is the variance between motion and non-motion in terms of the general military performance.”
Glen Pearce, simulation engineer for the Land Vehicle Simulation Environment at DSTO
RESULTS: IMMERSIVE EXPERIMENTAL ENVIRONMENT & MORE EFFICIENT TRAINING
The end result is a very immersive experimental environment that is expected to improve training outcomes for Australian military operators. D-BOX motion technology enables DSTO researchers to quickly and affordably explore the impact of motion on human performance in a simulation environment.
“When investigating simulation to support training, it’s often believed that the more money you spend on the simulation system and the more degrees of freedom you have, the better the outcomes you get. But Land Division’s research shows that, depending on the task that you’re trying to perform, there is a different threshold at which some motion is enough, more motion is effective, and any more than that is too much. Our understanding is that using D-BOX in this manner allows us to investigate and comment on the sweet spot for the return on investment for immersive technology.”
Glen Pearce, simulation engineer for the Land Vehicle Simulation Environment at DSTO
