VISUAL TRANSITION ENHANCEMENT

SINCE THE ADVENT OF ARMORED VEHICLES, SEVERAL PROBLEMS HAVE PLAGUED THEIR DESIGN WHICH DIRECTLY AFFECT THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CREW VIEWS THE BATTLEFIELD AND HOW THEY CAN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THEIR MISSION. OBVIOUSLY THE NEED TO PROTECT THE CREW/EQUIPMENT IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. FROM A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE, THE TRADEOFF HAS ALWAYS BEEN VISION AGAINST ARMOR. SEVERAL ANALYSES CONDUCTED BY CONTRACTOR MATERIAL DEVELOPERS HAVE INDICATED THAT "VISION IS THE WEAKEST LINK IN TANK WARFARE MISSION EFFECTIVENESS". THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED INVESTIGATION ARE: 1) TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE TEST BED CAPABLE OF EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSITIONING AND RECONCILING BETWEEN TWO DIFFERING VIEWS OF A TARGET; 2) TO CONDUCT A PILOT STUDY, AND 3) AS A RESULT OF THE PILOT STUDY, TO GENERATE AN EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL TO PERFORM A LARGER STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES ON TRANSITION PERFORMANCE.