Effects of Tele-Robotic Task Characteristics on the Choice of Visual Display Dimensionality

The effects of task characteristics on the relative efficiency of visual display dimension were studied using a simulated tele-robotic task. Through a conventional method of task analysis. the tele-robotic task was divided into two categories: the task element requiring focused attention (FA task) and the task element requiring global attention (CA task). Time-ta-completion data were collected for a total of 120 trials involving 10 participants. For the CA task. there was no significant difference between the multiple two-dimensional (20) display and the three-dimensional (3D) monocular display. For the FA task. however. the multiple 20 display was superior to the 3D monocular display. The results suggest that the characteristics of a given task have a considerable effect on the choice of display dimensionality and the multiple 3D display is better for human operators to effectively judge depth if the task requires frequent use of focused attention.