Intelligent Information Presentation for a Helmet Mounted Display in a Synthetic Environment

Automatic selection of control and display modes using data available on the aircraft has the potential to reduce the physical and cognitive workloads of aircrews. However, current experiences with automated mode selection have shown that there are significant difficulties with automation that can result in reduced situation awareness, increased workload, and cause "automation surprise". These problems have resulted in numerous mishaps and are believed responsible for several fatal crashes. It is expected that the problems currently observed in fixed wing aircraft will be exacerbated in helicopters using HMDs because, in contrast to fixed wing aircraft, the flight path and the direction of the aircrew's attention are often not aligned with the helicopter's longitudinal axis. This Phase I proposal addresses the issues of designing and developing improved mode switching for helicopter HMD symbology. This Phase I proposal goes beyond the feasibility analysis and promises to demonstrate automated display mode switching in a part-task flight simulation environment.