Using Simulation Speeds to Differentiate Controller Interface Concepts

Abstract

This study investigated two concepts: (1) whether speeding a human-in-the-loop simulation (or the subject's “world”) scales time stress in such a way as to cause primary task performance to reveal workload differences between experimental conditions and (2) whether using natural hand motions to control the attitude of an aircraft makes controlling the aircraft easier and more intuitive. This was accomplished by having pilots and non-pilots make altitude and heading changes using three different control inceptors at three simulation speeds. Results indicate that simulation speed does affect workload and controllability. The bank and pitch angle error was affected by simulation speed but not by a simulation speed by controller type interaction; this may have been due to the relatively easy flying task. Results also indicate that pilots could control the bank and pitch angle of an aircraft about equally as well with the glove as with the sidestick. Non-pilots approached the pilots' ability to control the bank and pitch angle of an aircraft using the positional glove – where the hand angle is directly proportional to the commanded aircraft angle. Therefore, (1) changing the simulation speed lends itself to objectively indexing a subject's workload and may also aid in differentiating among interface concepts based upon performance if the task being studied is sufficiently challenging and (2) using natural body movements to mimic the movement of an airplane for attitude control is feasible.