Measuring Presence and Situational Awareness in a Virtual Reality Flight Simulator

Abstract

A sense of presence plays a significant role in virtual reality (VR) usability, yet there is limited research of its existence in a virtual reality flight simulator (VRFS). Similarly, there is scarce investigation of situational awareness (SA) in a VRFS. Consequently, this paper discusses an experiment that explored presence and SA in a VRFS. Physiological responses are also captured. The results reveal that participants felt a high degree of presence in a VRFS, and felt immersed and involved. The sense of presence contributed to good SA, and physiological data identified increased stress levels. These results are an important step in the exploration of VR in the field of aviation training. However, more research is required to identify how and where VR could be applied.

A Collaborative Virtual Reality Flight Simulator: Efficacy, Challenges and Potential

“…What little empirical evidence that has been provided on the usefulness of VRFSs has been limited to single-user simulators (e.g., [3], [9]- [11]). This may be of benefit if single-pilot commercial operations are introduced, which may commence in the early 2030s [12].…”

“…Alongside presence (i.e. "being there"), sufficient situational awareness (SA) in a VE is important [3]. Although there is no universally accepted model of SA [16], at a very simplistic level, SA is an appropriate awareness of a situation [17].…”

“…Since the reliability of individual SA as an indicator of TSA has already been established, this section will discuss the measurement of individual SA. Previous research [3] reviewed various methods for measuring SA and subsequently SART was identified as best suited to the present study. SART uses three domains to measure operator SA: Attentional Demand, Attentional Supply and Understanding [42].…”

“…The effectiveness of simulator training is undeniably beneficial and is embedded into current pilot training regimes [1]. However, there are several limitations to these simulators [2], [3], including their cost, size, and in the case of full flight simulators, the bottleneck imposed by only being able to accommodate two trainees at a time. This latter restriction is particularly pertinent since airlines are currently short of flight crew [4], [5].…”

“…However, there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence, uninformed commentary, conflicting terminology, and unrealistic expectations that has prevented its wide-spread introduction into mainstream pilot training. Immersive technologies have advanced significantly over recent years, and are a capable mechanism used to deliver training in industries such as healthcare, tourism, and education [3]. The main reasons delaying the implementation of VRFSs is the dearth of empirical evidence required by regulators to support their efficacy, coupled with a lack of human factors design principals.…”