<title>Enhanced perception of terrain hazards in off-road path choice: stereoscopic 3D versus 2D displays</title>

Abstract

Off-road mobility at night is a critical factor in modern military operations. Soldiers traversing off-road terrain, both on foot and in combat vehicles, often use 2D viewing devices (such as a driver's thermal viewer, or biocular or monocular night-vision goggles) for tactical mobility under low-light conditions. Perceptual errors can occur when 2D displays fail to convey adequately the contours of terrain. Some off-road driving accidents have been attributed to inadequate perception of terrain features due to using 2D displays (which do not provide binocular-parallax cues to depth perception). In this study, photographic images of terrain scenes were presented first in conventional 2D video, and then in stereoscopic 3D video. The percentage of possible correct answers for 2D and 3D were: 2D pretest equals 52%, 3D pretest equals 80%, 2D posttest equals 48%, 3D posttest equals 78%. Other recent studies conducted at the US Army Research Laboratory's Human Research and Engineering Directorate also show that stereoscopic 3D displays can significantly improve visual evaluation of terrain features, and thus may improve the safety and effectiveness of military off-road mobility operation, both on foot and in combat vehicles.