From: pat@jupiter.risc.rockwell.com (Pete Tinker)
Subject: Human Factors and VR
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 91 08:30:26 PST



Bob,

I think that human factors concerns are *the* most important aspect of our
work.  I'm "selling" VR internally to groups that want dramatic demonstrations
of their projects to customers and potential customers, but my longer-term
research focus is concerned with using virtual space as an "information space."
This work raises many questions about the effective use of the (potentially
limitless) display area (volume) of virtual space, and about how it can benefit
users in critical situations.

These may seem like mundane concerns to the "goggles 'n gloves" set, but
head-mounted display systems offer some very practical advantages over standard
CRT counterparts for some applications: lower overall system cost, less heat
dissipation, lower power requirements, larger display area, smaller physical
space, more natural computer/human interaction, more manageable technology
upgrade path, fewer personnel, more secure communications, and less user
distraction.

There is a large body of work on human factors issues for non-cockpit
information display systems, but I haven't seen much that departs from fairly
static 2 or 2.5-D CRT-based displays.  3-D helmet-mounted cockpit display
systems have received a lot of attention and much is known about pilot
perceptions in that environment, but that doesn't necessarily translate to,
say, factory floor monitoring systems.  I think the key difference is that
cockpit displays are intended to augment and magnify perceptions about the
physical world, while other information systems deal with information that
doesn't have a physical analog; their requirements are very different.

A big issue for me, then, is how we can capitalize on the practical potential
benefits of virtual space without hindering the information flow to a user at
the same time.  VR *can* be used in many applications, but there are few (IMHO)
for which it's clearly better than more conventional approaches.  Placing
someone in a virtual environment is fun for a while, but if it doesn't help do
the job it won't gain much acceptance.  That's where human factors research
comes in.


        Pete Tinker (pat@risc.rockwell.com)

        Science Center, Rockwell International Corporation
        (805) 373-4268

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