Experimentation and evaluation of threat detection and local areaawareness using advanced computational technologies in a simulatedmilitary environment

摘要

Tomorrows military systems will require novel methods for assessing Soldier performance and situational awareness (SA) in mobile operations involving mixed-initiative systems. Although new methods may augment Soldier assessments, they may also reduce Soldier performance as a function of demand on workload, requiring concurrent performance of mission and assessment tasks. The present paper describes a unique approach that supports assessment in environments approximating the operational context within which future systems will be deployed. A complex distributed system was required to emulate the operational environment. Separate computational and visualization systems provided an environment representative of the military operational context, including a 3D urban environment with dynamic human entities. Semi-autonomous driving was achieved with a simulated autonomous mobility system and SA was assessed through digital reports. A military crew station mounted on a 6-DOF motion simulator was used to create the physical environment. Cognitive state evaluation was enabled using physiological monitoring. Analyses indicated individual differences in temporal and accuracy components when identifying key features of potential threats; i.e., comparing Soldiers and insurgents with non-insurgent civilians. The assessment approach provided a natural, operationally-relevant means of assessing needs of future secure mobility systems and detecting key factors affecting Soldier-system performance as foci for future development.