Final Evaluation of the Light Pen as the Key Component in a Microcomputer-Based Simulator

摘要

The US Army Research Institute's Fort Benning Field Unit is currently developing a low-cost, part-task simulator/trainer that will train different weapon systems. The Multipurpose Arcade Combat Simulator (MACS) uses a specially designed light pen as the key component to determine where a weapon is aimed. In a previous study, Schroeder and cook (1983) investigated the effects of a number of variables on the reliability of a prototype light pen (e.g., ambient light, glare, distance from the monitor to the light pen, screen brightness, screen color, equipment warm-up, and trigger switch closure). Subsequently, the light pen hardware was improved. The major purpose of the present work was to replicate the earlier light pen evaluation with the newly improved light pen. A second goal was to assess the accuracy of the new light pen on two different microcomputers. The new light pen was found to be significantly more reliable than its predecessor on both microcomputers and well within the acceptable limits of accuracy for a marksmanship.