Event Driven State Based Interface for Synthetic Environments

摘要

Previous research at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has producedsynthetic environments using head mounted displays (HMDs) and hand measurement devices. This thesis is a continuation of AFIT synthetic environment research. Hand measurement data from a VPL DataGlove is combined with hand orientation and translational data to define a set of valid gestures. These gestures form the basis of an input language for class of finite automata known as finite state machines. Using the input symbols from this language, the user may define a finite state machine which associates a stream of input symbols with one or more system actions. The interface system developed is a combination of the transition network and event dialogue models described by Green and others. The system is tested using a synthetic environment targetted to battlefield management. Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) data is used to create a synthetic environment model of real world locations. Using the VPL DataGlove, the user of the synthetic environment can explore the landscape and populate it with objects common to a battlefield such as aircraft hangers and anti-aircraft guns; the system provides the capability to generate and explore battlefields from within the synthetic environment.