Mental Workload and Task Performance for Indirect Vision Driving with Fixed Flat Panel Displays

Smyth, Christopher C · 2001 · Crossref

DOI: 10.17077/drivingassessment.1000

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Summary

This study investigates the impact of indirect vision systems on driving performance and mental workload, specifically addressing the effects of camera field of view (FOV) in future armored combat vehicles. As vehicle designs shift toward enclosed crew stations with electronic displays replacing conventional optics, understanding how different camera FOVs influence driver behavior is critical for system design. The research was motivated by the need to determine optimal design parameters for panoramic flat panel displays used in military vehicles. The experiment involved eight participants driving a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle through a road course under three conditions: natural direct vision and two indirect vision setups using fixed flat panel liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The indirect vision system utilized a forward-viewing monocular camera array with three lens configurations providing near unity (150°), wide (205°), and extended (257°) camera FOVs. The displays presented a fixed 110° panoramic view, resulting in varying degrees of scene compression. Data were collected on driving performance metrics, including course times and lane marker strikes, as well as subjective measures using the NASA Task Loading Index (TLX), Situation Awareness Rating Technique (SART), and motion sickness questionnaires. Statistical analyses included multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and factor analysis. The results demonstrated that while participants successfully navigated the course with indirect vision, they drove significantly slower than with natural vision. Course speed decreased significantly as the camera FOV increased, a trend attributed to the increased display compression ratio, which reduced scene resolution and distorted velocity flow fields. Although error rates (barrel strikes) did not differ significantly between conditions, perceived workload and situational awareness demands increased significantly with indirect vision, particularly regarding task, temporal, and mental demands. Additionally, most participants reported motion sickness symptoms, such as nausea and disorientation, which were significantly higher in indirect vision conditions due to display update limitations and motion blur. The study concludes that increasing camera FOV in indirect vision systems decreases driving speed due to scene compression but may aid spatial navigation tasks. The findings support a skills-rules-knowledge model of information processing, where workload measures cluster into distinct cognitive levels: skill-based visual-motor processing, rule-based situational awareness, and supervisory-level stress responses linked to motion sickness. These results imply that indirect vision systems impose higher cognitive loads and physical stress, which could degrade performance over time through fatigue, necessitating careful consideration of display design and camera specifications in future vehicle development.

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Topics

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• useful field of view
• road complexity
• mental demand
• workload measurement
• situational awareness
• hud ar windshield

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: physiological data
• Methodological Resource: tool software
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model