High-resolution visual displays have been designed for flight simulation so that observers can judge the aspect angle of aircraft at far distances. This research describes an experiment in which 2 display devices are compared as untrained observers judge the spatial orientation of 2 target aircraft: F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The display devices are a prototype direct-write microlaser projector and an SXGA-format CRT display. Observers' accuracy of aircraft identification is better with the laser projector, and recognition response times are faster. A simple rule was found to fit the observers' response times; it is expressed in terms of a statistic on the autocorrelation of black-and-white silhouette images of aircraft. Observers' estimates of aspect are biased by the laser projector, whereas observers' estimates of aspect are accurate on average with the SXGA display. The bias in estimation of aspect may be due to variations in line brightness introduced by the laser projector. Actual and potential applications of this work are discussed.
Samenvatting