An Experimental Study of the Psychological Effects of Vision Loss for Practical Application to Windowless Cockpits

In recent years, technology presenting views using cameras and sensors has been promoted in aircraft and automobiles. Since sudden vision loss can occur in the event of a malfunction, concerns exist not only about the effects of the loss itself but also about psychological effects such as pilots’ or drivers’ upset or mental strain. Although studies have been conducted from a performance perspective, no studies have examined the psychological effects of vision loss. Therefore, in this study we assessed the psychological effects of vision loss for the reliability design of windowless cockpits while considering human factors. We used a simulator experiment involving controlling the altitude and attitude of an aircraft to examine the psychological effects of various ranges and duration of loss. Our results showed that the psychological effects of the range of loss were significant, and these were not significantly affected by whether vision was restored. Therefore, once vision loss occurs, even if for a short duration, psychological effects follow. In addition, the range of one-third or less for forward field of view vision loss may be acceptable, and thus, designing system partitioning and other aspects using this value may lead to improved reliability.