TY - GEN
T1 - Investigating the Impact of Laser Dazzling on Shooting Performance in a Simulator Environment
AU - Földes, Tomas
AU - Pereira, Helena Rico
AU - Nita, Cornelia
AU - Ferreira, Hugo Alexandre
AU - Vandewal, Marijke
N1 - info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F00645%2F2020/PT#
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//2021.08306.BD/PT#
Funding Information:
The shooting simulator has been developed through the collaborative efforts of the NATO SET-249 research group, now succeeded by SET-323. Our gratitude extends to all members of this group. The majority of the development work took place at the Fraunhofer-Institut für Optronik, Systemtechnik und Bildauswertung (IOSB), Gutleuthausstraße 1, 76275 Ettlingen, Germany. The main contributors to this effort were Michael Henrichsen, Sebastian Stutz, and Olivier Boland, a master's thesis student from the Royal Military Academy, Belgium. We wish to acknowledge the support from the Royal Higher Institute for Defense and the Ministry of Defense of Belgium for their generous support in funding this research through the DAP21/09 and DAP18/05 projects.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 SPIE. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Laser dazzling can cause visual performance degradation in humans, resulting in reduced accuracy and reaction times. This study presents the results from laser dazzling trials conducted on trained shooters in a shooting simulator at the Royal Military Academy (RMA) in Brussels, Belgium. The main objective was to assess the extent of task performance degradation induced by laser dazzle, while also investigating the impact of different experimental conditions, including target contrasts and the use of laser eye protection goggles. The shooting simulator was equipped with a 532 nm green dazzling laser, providing a safe yet noticeable dazzling effect. Participants, all trained shooters with similar experience, had their shooting scores and delays recorded for each shot. A statistical analysis, employing a linear mixed model, was conducted to assess the impact of laser dazzling on shooting performance. The findings showed that laser dazzling significantly and quantifiably affected shooting performance, even at exposure levels below the obscuration limits. Additionally, shooters wore sensorized headbands to assess electroencephalography (EEG) changes to the presented stimuli. Preliminary results from the statistical analysis of the EEG data are also presented, offering insights into the shooters' cognitive and emotional state during laser dazzling exposure.
AB - Laser dazzling can cause visual performance degradation in humans, resulting in reduced accuracy and reaction times. This study presents the results from laser dazzling trials conducted on trained shooters in a shooting simulator at the Royal Military Academy (RMA) in Brussels, Belgium. The main objective was to assess the extent of task performance degradation induced by laser dazzle, while also investigating the impact of different experimental conditions, including target contrasts and the use of laser eye protection goggles. The shooting simulator was equipped with a 532 nm green dazzling laser, providing a safe yet noticeable dazzling effect. Participants, all trained shooters with similar experience, had their shooting scores and delays recorded for each shot. A statistical analysis, employing a linear mixed model, was conducted to assess the impact of laser dazzling on shooting performance. The findings showed that laser dazzling significantly and quantifiably affected shooting performance, even at exposure levels below the obscuration limits. Additionally, shooters wore sensorized headbands to assess electroencephalography (EEG) changes to the presented stimuli. Preliminary results from the statistical analysis of the EEG data are also presented, offering insights into the shooters' cognitive and emotional state during laser dazzling exposure.
KW - cognitive and emotional state
KW - electroencephalography
KW - human performance
KW - laser dazzling
KW - shooting simulator
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178518617&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.2680177
DO - 10.1117/12.2680177
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85178518617
SN - 978-151066705-1
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - Technologies for Optical Countermeasures XIX
A2 - Grasso, Robert J.
A2 - Eichhorn, Marc
A2 - Lewis, Gareth D.
PB - SPIE-International Society for Optical Engineering
T2 - Technologies for Optical Countermeasures XIX 2023
Y2 - 3 September 2023 through 7 September 2023
ER -