Effect of Jerk and Acceleration on the Perceptionof Motion Strength

Abstract

In a flight simulator, the calculated aircraft motions are scaled down and filtered to fit within the envelope of the simulator motion system. A number of recent flight and ground simulation studies have reported that the simulator motion was too strong, when in fact, the motion was scaled down and filtered. This paper puts forth the hypothesis that this could be due in part to the motion drive algorithm and vehicle model exaggerating the jerk. To test the plausibility of this hypothesis a paired-comparison experiment was run to determine if the subjective impression of motion strength is a function of both the acceleration and jerk of the motion. The experiment found that the level of jerk and acceleration contributed to the perceived strength of motion, with larger jerks and accelerations leading to increased motion strength. In addition, the duration of the acceleration had a significant effect on the perceived motion strength, with longer durations leading to increased motion strength. Although the relationship between jerk and motion strength suggests that exaggerated jerk in the simulator could lead to the preference for scale factors less than one, the strength of the relationship strongly suggests that it does not entirely account for the preference.