Less Known Aspect of Augmented Reality
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Highly demanding tasks, such as monitoring for threats and operating complex machinery and technologies, is putting an ever-increasing amount of information processing on military personnel. Tools like heads-up displays have been greatly anticipated as aids for high-performance, high-risk activities like surgery and combat, by increasing the accuracy of movement and reducing distractions. However, some research suggests AR impairs performance rather than improving it.
The Australian Defence Science and Technology Group and the Australian Army are set to explore how combatants can take advantage of augmented reality (AR) tools without suffering from information overload or complacency.
Flinders University Dr Oren Griffiths, a cognitive neuroscientist and Mike Nicholls, Professor of Psychology are investigating the use of augmented reality to expand the power of the brain. They are working on an AR system to reduce the attention burden and increase performance of defence personnel.
Griffiths said that one AR study with military personnel showed improved detection for cued events, but led to unexpected events being missed. The same problem was also noted with surgeons using onscreen overlays.
AR cueing is an area of research used to increase the attentiveness of a person to the presence of specific hazards in their field of vision. It has previously been used extensively in car safety applications.
“The common link in these situations is that AR cues can capture the user’s attention so effectively that critical, unanticipated events can be missed,” Griffiths said. “Many of these errors are invisible to eye-gaze because those who miss the target are just as likely to gaze at it as those who notice it.”
The research sponsored by the Australian Army will investigate these “looked but didn’t see” errors that can be caused by AR cueing, which will become important as military personnel becomes more reliant on such technology, according to itnews.com.au.
