Detection of motion-defined form under simulated night vision conditions

Abstract

The influence of Night Vision Goggle-produced noise on the perception of motion-defined form was investigated using synthetic imagery and standard psychophysical procedures. Synthetic image sequences incorporating synthetic noise were generated using a software model developed by our research group. This model is based on the physical properties of the Aviator Night Vision Imaging System (ANVIS-9) image intensification tube. The image sequences either depicted a target that moved at a different speed than the background, or only depicted the background. For each trial, subjects were shown a pair of image sequences and required to indicate which sequence contained the target stimulus. We tested subjects at a series of target speeds at several realistic noise levels resulting from varying simulated illumination. The results showed that subjects had increased difficulty detecting the target with increased noise levels, particularly at slower target speeds. This study suggests that the capacity to detect motion-defined form is degraded at low levels of illumination. Our findings are consistent with anecdotal reports of impaired motion perception in NVGs. Perception of motion-defined form is important in operational tasks such as search and rescue and camouflage breaking. These degradations in performance should be considered in operational planning.