Human/Machine Interface Modalities for Soldier Systems Technologies

摘要

The Army's Objective Force Warrior program seeks to create a lightweight overwhelmingly lethal fully integrated individual combat system. This includes weapon, head-to-toe individual protection, networked communications, soldier-worn power sources, and enhanced human performance. Achieving this objective will in part entail the development of soldier-centric human/machine interfaces (HMIs) that optimize cognitive fightability. Such optimization is possible only if these HMIs are designed in such a way that takes into account the nature of human information processing and cognition. This in turn depend on understanding how best to use the senses by which humans perceive their environment and the means by which they can affect it; i.e., the modalities for human/machine interaction. Traditional approaches to HMI design have centered on the use of visual displays and manual inputs, but these do not take advantage of the full range of means by which humans can perceive and interact with their environment. This report reviews the literature on human/ machine interface modalities. It also provides guidelines for system designers to consider when choosing which modalities should be considered in a system intended to augment human cognitive performance.