Optimising the yaw motion cues available from a short stroke hexapod motion platform

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents findings from research conducted at the University of Liverpool aimed at optimising the motion cues available from a short-stroke hexapod motion platform. Piloted simulation experiments were conducted to gather both objective and subjective measures of pilot performance and motion fidelity for a typical helicopter low-speed yaw axis capture task. These measures included subjective ratings taken for the first time using a new motion fidelity rating scale. During the experiment four baseline configurations were presented to the pilot; – No motion, Rotational-only motion, Translational-only motion and Rotational + Translational motion, and within these baseline configurations various values of motion filter gains were examined. The key findings from the experiment show that the most acceptable motion fidelity was obtained when congruent cues were presented in both the rotational and translational axes. A possible explanation for this result is postulated to lie within the relative motion perception thresholds of the human semicircular canals. These results contrast with previous research which suggested that yaw axis motion cues were of less importance than translational motion cues.