VIRTUALLY-AUGMENTED INTERFACES FOR TACTICAL AIRCRAFT

The term Fusion Interface is defined as a class of interface which int egrally incorporates both virtual and non-virtual concepts and devices across the visual, auditory and haptic sensory modalities. A fusion i nterface is a multi-sensory virtually-augmented synthetic environment. A new facility has been developed within the Human Engineering Divisi on of the Armstrong Laboratory dedicated to exploratory development of fusion-interface concepts. One of the virtual concepts to be investig ated in the Fusion Interfaces for Tactical Environments facility (FITE ) is the application of EEG and other physiological measures for virtu al control of functions within the flight environment. FITE is a speci alized flight simulator which allows efficient concept development thr ough the use of rapid prototyping followed by direct experience of new fusion concepts. The FITE facility also supports evaluation of fusion concepts by operational fighter pilots in a high fidelity simulated a ir combat environment. The facility was utilized by a multi-disciplina ry team composed of operational pilots, human-factors engineers, elect ronics engineers, computer scientists, and experimental psychologists to prototype and evaluate the first multi-sensory, virtually-augmented cockpit. The cockpit employed LCD-based head-down displays, a helmet- mounted display, three-dimensionally localized audio displays, and a h aptic display. This paper will endeavor to describe the FITE facility architecture, some of the characteristics of the FITE virtual display and control devices, and the potential application of EEG and other ph ysiological measures within the FITE facility.