Title
Adaptive camouflage of moving targets
Author
van der Burg, E.
Hogervorst, M.A.
Toet, A.
Publication year
2020
Abstract
Targets that are well camouflaged under static conditions are often easily detected as soon as they start moving. We investigated and evaluated ways to design camouflage that dynamically adapts to the background and conceals the target while taking the variation in potential viewing directions into account. In a human observer experiment recorded imagery was used to simulate moving (either walking or running) and static soldiers, equipped with different types of camouflage patterns and viewed from different directions. Participants were instructed to search for the soldier and to make a speeded response as soon as they detected the soldier. Mean correct search times and mean detection probability were compared between soldiers in standard (Netherlands) Woodland uniform, in static camouflage (adapted to the local background) and in dynamically adapting camouflage. We investigated the effects of background type and variability on detection performance by varying the soldiers’ environment (like bushland, and urban). In general, performance was worse for dynamic soldiers compared to static soldiers, confirming the notion that motion breaks camouflage. Furthermore, camouflage performance of the static adaptive camouflage condition was generally much better than for the standard Woodland camouflage. Also, camouflage performance was found to depend on the background. When moving across a highly variable (heterogenous) background, dynamic camouflage turned out to be especially beneficial (i.e., performance was better in a bush environment than in an urban environment). Interestingly, our dynamic camouflage design was outperformed a method which simply displays the ‘exact’ background on the camouflage suit, since it is better capable of taking the variability in viewing directions into account. By combining new adaptive camouflage technologies with dynamic adaptive camouflage designs such as the one presented here it may become possible to prevent detection of moving targets in the (near) future.
Subject
Search
Camouflage
Detection
Adaptation
Motion
Camouflage technology
Detection performance
Dynamic-adaptive
Human observers
Moving targets
Netherlands
Static conditions
Viewing directions
Defence, Safety and Security
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:56a02050-5809-4844-8d77-4adcdf8a3efd
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2571842
TNO identifier
881735
Source
Proceedings of Spie - The International Society for Optical EngineeringVolume 11536Target and Background Signatures VI 2020; Virtual, Online; United Kingdom; 21 September 2020 through 25 September 2020
Document type
conference paper