Glasses-Mounted Display

As technology moves toward mobile computing, evaluation of these technologies, such as head-mounted and glasses-mounted displays, and human performance associated with their use is essential to their successful development.  A series of studies were conducted by the Human Factors group to evaluate the usability of the Glasses-Mounted Display (GMD) when used in a mobile environment.

Close-up of the glasses-mounted display.

The GMD can be the display device for a wearable computer.

The GMD is designed for situations in which the user simultaneously interacts with the environment and the display. Mobility can mean 1) the user is moving with respect to a stationary environment, 2) the environment is moving with respect to the stationary user, or 3) both user and environment are in motion. With this in mind, one experiment employed the subsidiary dual task paradigm, which tests both primary and secondary task performance. In the dual task paradigm, the user is required to interact with the external environment while performing actions related to the display. This method requires the user to optimize one task at the expense of the other. This condition relates directly to applications designed for dismounted soldiers, aircraft maintainers, and other mobile task situations of the future where the external environment could potentially interact with a computer task.

The GMD allows mobile computing in tight quarters and other challenging working environments.

Results using this testing method show the impact of environmental complexity on computer task performance. Issues such as display format and cognitive task loading are considered.  Other issues such as physiological effects of the GMD are also explored.

This GMD study illustrates the importance of understanding the interaction between environmental complexity and performance in mobile computing.