Enhancing Human Task Performance through Audiovisual Augmentation

In unusual environments and situations like extreme sports, underground environments, underwater, conflict zones or outer space, human sensory perception is often limited, which can adversely affect task performance, situational awareness, and the feeling of presence. This paper explores the efficacy of augmenting human perception with audiovisual information to support individuals in such contexts. Specifically, we investigate the impact of audiovisual augmentation on presence, situational awareness, and task performance. To conduct this research, we designed a virtual reality (VR) simulation of a space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Within this simulation, participants were tasked with performing maintenance activities while receiving artificial augmentations. We conducted a user study involving 43 participants who performed the same maintenance task under four augmentation conditions: audio cues, visual cues, audiovisual cues, and no cues. Our findings reveal that adding audiovisual information significantly enhances performance. Participants with audiovisual augmentations had a 60% improvement in task completion speed compared to those without augmentations. Moreover, the workload was substantially reduced, and the sense of presence was increased when audiovisual support was used. The results highlight the potential of audiovisual augmentation as a valuable tool for individuals engaging in situations with reduced audiovisual perception. The insights demonstrating the versatility and promise of audiovisual augmentation in enhancing task performance.