TITLE : Development of a Training Simulator for Night Vision Goggles
AUTHORS : Jajin Wu, Kee Yong Lim & Chai Wah Koh
Centre for Human Factors and Ergonomics
School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
Paper presented in the National Seminar on Human Aspects in Computer-based System, September 2005, Bandung, Indonesia
ABSTRACT
Night Vision Goggles (NVG) are used to enhance military operations. Its usage in aviation operations at night has greatly increased mobility, safety and mission effectiveness. Scenery seen through an NVG may not resemble images seen during daytime, and training is required for operators to acquire the necessary perceptual skills to understand imagery seen through an NVG. Inadequate training may cause operators to miss cues which help them identify possible hazards. Thus, appropriate training of image recognition is imperative. As an NVG is costly and requires a high level of maintenance, frequent usage for training deteriorates its lifespan and thus its cost effectiveness. To address this, a low cost training simulator is being developed. This paper presents an account of a method to digitally create simulated NVG images. Tests conducted to verify the fidelity of the images and to assess its efficacy for image recognition training, will be discussed. Naive subjects (those who have not used an NVG before) are divided into three groups and exposed respectively to real imagery as seen through an NVG, photo-images captured with a digital camera and digitally created simulated NVG images.
KEYWORDS: Night Vision Goggles, Training Simulator, Fidelity, Digital Images