By using virtual reality (VR)
techniques during the planning stage of a project, VR enhances team thought
processes, saves on cost overruns and time, and
provides a 3D virtual tour of any project.
The FAA is currently modernizing the en route
air traffic control system. Part of this modernization effort includes upgrading
the workstations air traffic supervisors use to manage operations. The en route
implementation office requested the FAA Research Development Human Factors Laboratory
(RDHFL) undertake an effort to demonstrate possible design alternatives for the
Area Supervisors Workstation.Objectives:
The main objective of this evaluation was to demonstrate and validate design
requirements from primarily Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) office/workstation
equipment. RDHFL researchers and designers worked with user teams to develop
several solutions to meet these requirements. The team used the Virtual Reality
Laboratory to lay out and evaluate ergonomic and anthropometric issues with various
design alternatives. The results of this evaluation would be used in the development
of a system specification for the next generation Area Supervisors Workstation.Products
& Benefits:
The products of this evaluation included images of the virtual prototypes and
computer generated drawings that demonstrated system requirements with user/operator
feedback. The Virtual Reality Laboratory afforded the design team the opportunity
to get early user feedback on system issues with a minimal investment of resources.
The program office took the images of the virtual prototypes and developed actual
mockups of the proposed system and fielded them at an FAA demonstration facility
outside Washington DC. The FAA used these mockups to gather additional user feedback
to further improve the workstation design and refine the system specifications.