When less is more: Studying the role of functional fidelity in a low fidelity mixed-reality tank simulator

Abstract

High fidelity military simulators have been a vital part of training and developing warfighters over the last eighty plus years. As military simulator technologies have evolved, continued emphasis tends toward high fidelity as a means to create the most extreme environments that offer novices opportunities to employ a broad spectrum of cognitive and physical skills. However, young and inexperienced trainees may lack the ability to make quick, mature and effective decisions within high fidelity simulators. High fidelity simulators have also proven cumbersome due to a number of factors, which include geographic constraints, limited resource allocation and costly update requirements. This paper explores extreme environment modeling and simulation methods for developing and measuring the effectiveness of low fidelity mixed reality solutions. We also discuss preliminary results from our current project entitled TALK-ON.