KC-135 boom operators are responsible for flying the refueling boom trailing from their aircraft into the refueling receptacle of receiving aircraft. The task requires them to maneuver a refueling knuckle on the end of a 30-ft assembly into the receptacle of the receiver under widely varying lighting and weather conditions. The potential for damage to the receiver is high. Small scratches and dents at best compromise corrosion resistance; larger collisions can reduce stealth characteristics and mission effectiveness of coated aircraft, or even cause fires in receiver cockpits when the refueling tube punctures cockpit glass.

This paper describes a technology demonstrator built around commercial off the shelf (COTS) PC-based image generators and an innovative autostereoscopic image display system to evaluate the effectiveness of depth perception cues to support future boom operator training systems. Using infrared face imaging for eye tracking, two liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) light-valve based projectors, an arrangement of beam splitters and mirrors mounted to a motion platform, the system steers collimated and focused stereo images at full HDTV resolution directly into each of the moving viewer's eyes. The associated image generator adjusts rendering viewpoints in both channels simultaneously, providing an intensely immersive experience with no perception of a screen or projection surface. Brightness and contrast levels are unprecedented; yet, the system's eye strain and energy exposure are substantially lower than what the viewer would receive from a large CRT or flat-screen.