Findings from a Multi-Year Investigation of Tactile and Multi-Modal Displays

Abstract

The U.S. Army's Advanced Technology Objective (ATO) titled “Situational Understanding as an Enabler for the Unit of Action Maneuver Team” sponsored a series of investigations to assess the utility of tactile displays, both as standalone displays and as part of multi-modal displays. The data from the ATO experiments demonstrated three areas in which tactile systems showed potential to increase soldier performance. These areas were communications in dismounted stealth operations, the use of multi-modal alerts (tactile paired with visual) during high visual workload periods, and reduction in visual tasks during extremely high workload.