- Qian-xiang Zhou: Institute of Space Medico-Engineering, Beijing, China.
OBJECTIVE: To study factuality of ergonomic experimental data from subjects performing virtual environment wearing head mounted display (HMD) and data gloves, so as to improve the reliability of the application of virtual reality in manned spaceflight (e.g. human-machine interface design scheme ergonomic evaluation, and virtual training).
METHOD: Experiment in a virtual module is designed and implemented on the virtual reality ergonomic experimental system. First, pre-experiments are done to determine the different levels of objects to be operated and the height of a virtual table which is in the virtual module. On the basis of the pre-experiments, the formal experiments are completed. In addition, a virtual reality questionnaire (VRQ) is developed and employed in order to assess subjective impressions of the virtual environment.
RESULT: Normal distribution of performing time is shown when a virtual sphere is put into a drawer of standard cabinet of virtual module on a front table by subjects wearing HMD, its mean value being 36.72 s and variance being 13.798 s. By VRQ analysis, about 70.2% of the subjects thought that HMD has a good stereo quality, they can be immersed in the virtual module.
CONCLUSION: When virtual reality is applied in ergonomic evaluation or virtual training, the HMD and data glove of the system would satisfy the requirements of human-computer interaction, so that human performance can be analogized and corresponding truth of experimental result can be achieved.