| dc.description.abstract | A lack of a navigator’s situational awareness (SA) is one of the leading causes of maritime accidents, especially vessel collisions. In earlier studies augmented reality (AR) has been shown to improve SA on vessel bridges. However, the technology is still under-developed, with widespread commercial solutions yet to appear on the market. AR could also play a role in reducing a navigator’s head-down time (HDT). An AR interface was used to test its effect on the SA & HDT of participants in a quasi-experimental setting. The SA Global Assessment Technique was used to measure the SA of 17 participants using two different interface set-ups and the SA Subjective Workload Dominance method was utilised to measure their preference. Finally, an exploratory interview was used to discover possible explanations and improvements to the AR interface. The results showed that, while the addition of an AR interface improved mean SA (by 14%), this was not significant. The addition did significantly reduce mean HDT (by 266%) and head-down occurrences (HDO, by 62%) and was overwhelmingly preferred by participants (by 2890%). The interviews revealed that participants saw the value of the AR interface in improving information access and vessel detection but raised concerns over potential increased clutter and overtrust in AR. Several improvements to the AR interface were also suggested. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of AR on SA within the maritime domain, especially regarding HDT. Further research is needed using different interface set-ups, night-time/poor-visibility scenarios, various use cases, high-fidelity simulators, and applied improvements. | |
