Effects of localized auditory information on visual target detection performance using a helmet-mounted display

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of localized auditory i nformation on visual target detection performance. Visual targets were pres ented on either a wide field-of-view dome display or a helmet-mounted displ ay and were accompanied by either localized, nonlocalized, or no auditory i nformation. The addition of localized auditory information resulted in sign ificant increases in target detection performance and significant reduction s in workload ratings as compared with conditions in which auditory informa tion was either nonlocalized or absent. Qualitative and quantitative analys es of participants' head motions revealed that the addition of localized au ditory information resulted in extremely efficient and consistent search st rategies. Implications for the development and design of multisensory virtu al environments are discussed. Actual or potential applications of this res earch include the use of spatial auditory displays to augment visual inform ation presented in helmet-mounted displays, thereby leading to increases in performance efficiency, reductions in physical and mental workload, and en hanced spatial awareness of objects in the environment.