Modeling the effects of display quality upon human pilot dynamics and perceived vehicle handling qualities

A model-based technique addressing the effect of display or visual scene quality upon human pilot dynamics is introduced. The technique builds upon a methodology proposed for the preliminary assessment of flight simulator fidelity which uses a structural model of the human pilot. This model is incorporated in what is termed the primary control loop(s) for the task at hand. It is shown that the measured effects of degradations in display quality upon human pilot dynamics can be modeled by simple reductions in the gains associated with error and proprioceptive signals in the structural model. A control theoretic rationale for these gain reductions is presented. The effect of display quality upon perceived handling qualities is discussed and demonstrated in a simple example. Although the research had its genesis in flight simulator fidelity studies, the modeling procedure is applicable to any continuous control task involving degraded visual conditions