Tracking a Laser-Projected Horizon Indicator

摘要

We did not evolve in motion and acceleration environments typical of military aviation, and we lack sense organs to cope with these environments. Even though the vestibular and visual system function properly in these environments, the brain accurately interpret them without visual or tactile contact with some fixed spatial reference point such as the Earth's horizon. In the airplane, this reference is provided by a gyro-stabilized artificial horizon instrument. Individuals differ widely in their ability to extract visual information from this attitude indicator and mentally integrate it with information from other body sensors. Consequently, failure to assimilate all of this information can result in disorientation, erratic motor performance, or intuitively correct but grossly incorrect control decisions. One of the more promising recent attempts to combat inflight spatial disorientation has focused on the development of Peripheral Vision Horizon Devices (PVHD) suitable for installation in operational aircraft. This paper describes a series of laboratory experiments directed at explaining some of the psychophysiological characteristics of the PVHD that are significant to its operational application.