Evaluations of new symbology for wide-field-of-view HMDs

New HMD symbols, specifically designed for wide-field-of-view (WFOV) application, were dynamically prototyped using a WFOV helmet mounted display (HMD) in conjunction with the PRISMS helicopter flight simulator. Missions were flown through realistic terrain by an expert Apache pilot. The data indicate that: (1) Pilot performance, in almost all measures, is substantially improved with use of a WFOV (99), as compared to a narrow-field-of-view (NFOV) (40) display; (2) Earth-fixed navigational and tactical symbols improve navigation accuracy, enhance aircraft handling performance, improve target acquisition, and reduce pilot workload; (3) Best performances were typically exhibited using WFOV with the new symbols-- neither the WFOV nor the symbols alone could produce peak perform-ance; (4) A flight path marker symbol showing the aircraft velocity vector improves aircraft handling and reduces workload, especially when paired with a WFOV display; (5) The new symbols were valuable even in complete darkness, showing that the superiority of the WFOV is due not only to broader views of the terrain, but also to broader views of effectively designed symbology; and (6) The additional area of the WFOV display can be used to present useful ancillary data without cluttering the central zone.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.