An Augmented Reality Shared Mission Planning Scenario: Observations on Shared Experience

Abstract

The proliferation of immersive technologies has accentuated their potential utilization across a broad range of operational situations from strategic planning to the tactical edge. However, little is known about individual and team behavior associated with immersive technologies. We begin to address this challenge by conducting a user-based experiment comparing a 3D augmented reality (AR) device (HoloLens) to a traditional 2D flat screen display. Participant dyads used both technologies to interactively plan a mission to retrieve a repository of intelligence documents located within enemy-held territory. Survey and performance data were collected during the mission planning task. A survey instrument called the Shared Augmented Reality Experience (SARE) survey was developed to measure some aspects of “presence” as defined by factor categories from early virtual environment research. Tested during the mission planning task, a correlation analysis reveals several significant relationships between the survey items and the SARE total score. All relationships between the SARE total score and performance metrics are in the predicted direction; however, only one relationship is significant. Based on the limited data collected to date, experimental outcomes indicate that the level of shared AR experience should be associated with better performance and larger samples should be pursued.