Investigation of the effect of head-slaved camera motion on image tracking in uninhabited air vehicles

This report presents the results of a research program designed to compare the use of head-slaved cameras with fixed vision systems. In particular the effect of these systems on ground target acquisition was examined.; In this experiment, subjects piloted a simulated UAV past a large ground target and then tried to turn around and line up with the ground target in the shortest time possible. Turns were initiated at a variety of distances ranging from 100 to 500 metres, with turn time being the primary experimental measurement.; The results of this experiment indicated that performance was significantly better with the HMD than the fixed display, particularly at shorter ranges (<200m) where subjects succeeded in completing their turns twice as often with the HMD. In interviews conducted after the experiment, subjects indicated the HMD was significantly superior with respect to performance, but tiring to use.