The Effects of Image Resolution on an Armored Vehicle Differentiation Task

Abstract

Future usage of multiple unmanned vehicle (UV) assets by all branches of the United States military necessitates examination of the factors involved in efficient communication of information among human-robot teams. One area for concern is the transfer of visual information in the form of photographs or live feeds. This study explores the effects of image resolution on a relevant military task, namely that of vehicle differentiation. Images of four scaled armored military vehicles (M1A1 Abrams, M3A2 Bradley, T-72 and T-80) were recorded and compared across six digital image resolution levels for accuracy and response time. Results suggest that 15 ppi is the minimum image resolution needed during transmission of static visual communication.

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