EFFECT OF COLOR AND TEXTURE OF FOREGROUND ON SIZE AND DISTANCE PERCEPTION USING VIDEO SYSTEMS FOR TELEOPERATED VEHICLES

Driving on typical streets offers people numerous visual cues such as lane markers and street signs to help navigate and make driving decisions. In off-road navigation, paths are not clearly marked; to traverse open terrains the driver must rely on gathering information about the surroundings, constantly searching for obstacles that might impede progress or damage the vehicle. Ability to judge the distance to an object, or the gap between obstacles, is helpful in choosing safe navigaional routes. Interposing a video system between the driver and the environment compounds the difficulties of an already complex task. Not only does the teleoperator have the problem of navigating in an off-road environment, but he must do so with a limited, distorted view of the surroundings. This study evaluates how well people percieve two objects of unknown size using monochrome and color television systems in three different terrains. Ten subjects estimated the size, distance, and clearance of tthe two objects using video tapes produced by a forward-looking, hand-held camera. Terrain variations included a field of grass, a barren construction site, and a high desert mesa. Results indicated that subjects typically underestimated distances and, when in error judging clearance, tended to overestimate the clearance between the objects. Color provided a slight advantage in estimating clearance over monochrome. Changes in terrain and the presence of color proved to have minimal influence on judging distances. This report describes the research methodology and the results obtained, and asesses the implications thesefindings have on teleoperated vehicle design.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products.
• Corporate Authors:

  Sandia National Laboratories

  P.O. Box 5800
  Albuquerque, NM  United States  87185
• Authors:
  • SMITH, C U
  • Miller, D P
• Publication Date: 1989-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 41 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car clearances (Railroads); Color; Distance; Drivers; Estimating; Hazards; Navigation; Obstructions (Navigation); Perception; Texture; Vehicle design; Visual aids
• Old TRIS Terms: Clearances; Driver perception; Monochromatic
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00494009
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAND-88-2569
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1990 12:00AM