<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
seated	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
for	O
controlling	O
one	O
's	O
avatar	B-Application
in	O
a	O
3D	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
combines	O
head	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
,	O
a	O
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
and	O
sliding	O
foot	O
pedals	O
to	O
provide	O
positional	O
control	O
over	O
many	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
posture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
was	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
US	O
Naval	O
Research	O
Laboratory	O
(	O
NRL	O
)	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
dismounted	O
infantry	O
simulation	O
for	O
USMC	O
training	O
and	O
mission	O
rehearsal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NRL	O
's	O
goal	O
in	O
developing	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
was	O
to	O
extend	O
the	O
range	O
and	O
precision	O
of	O
actions	O
supported	O
by	O
virtual	O
simulators	O
,	O
to	O
better	O
represent	O
what	O
infantrymen	O
can	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
seeks	O
to	O
enhance	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
control	O
provided	O
by	O
conventional	O
desktop	O
and	O
console	O
game	O
controllers	O
by	O
engaging	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
whole	O
body	O
to	O
control	O
corresponding	O
segments	O
of	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
body	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
uses	O
his	O
hands	O
to	O
operate	O
virtual	O
weapons	O
and	O
direct	O
tactical	O
movement	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
uses	O
his	O
feet	O
for	O
stepping	O
and	O
controlling	O
his	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
postural	O
height	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
uses	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
three	O
consumer	O
grade	O
input	O
devices	O
:	O
a	O
Natural	B-Operating_System
Point	I-Operating_System
TrackIR	I-Operating_System
5	I-Operating_System
head	O
tracker	O
,	O
a	O
Sony	O
DualShock	O
3	O
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
flight	O
simulator	O
foot	O
pedals	O
from	O
CH	O
Products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
additional	O
input	O
from	O
the	O
head	O
and	O
feet	O
offloads	O
the	O
hands	O
from	O
having	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
entire	O
avatar	B-Application
and	O
allows	O
for	O
a	O
more	O
natural	O
assignment	O
of	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Together	O
,	O
the	O
three	O
input	O
devices	O
offer	O
twelve	O
independent	O
channels	O
of	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
posture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
uses	O
these	O
inputs	O
to	O
map	O
the	O
movements	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
head	O
and	O
torso	O
one-for-one	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
his	O
avatar	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hunching	O
the	O
head	O
down	O
by	O
flexing	O
the	O
spine	O
is	O
also	O
registered	O
by	O
the	O
head	O
's	O
translation	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
adopts	O
a	O
matching	O
posture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gamepad	B-Device
includes	O
dual	O
thumb	O
sticks	O
and	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
tilt	O
sensors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
uses	O
the	O
thumb	O
sticks	O
to	O
turn	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
body	O
and	O
set	O
the	O
stepping	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tilt	O
of	O
the	O
gamepad	B-Device
is	O
mapped	O
to	O
control	O
how	O
the	O
virtual	O
rifle	O
is	O
held	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
tilts	O
the	O
gamepad	B-Device
down	O
to	O
lower	O
the	O
rifle	O
,	O
and	O
tilts	O
the	O
gamepad	B-Device
up	O
to	O
continuously	O
raise	O
the	O
rifle	O
up	O
through	O
a	O
low	O
ready	O
into	O
an	O
aim	O
and	O
then	O
to	O
a	O
high	O
ready	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
rolls	O
the	O
gamepad	B-Device
(	O
tilting	O
it	O
side	O
to	O
side	O
)	O
to	O
cant	O
the	O
weapon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamepad	B-Device
buttons	O
are	O
mapped	O
to	O
control	O
various	O
weapon	O
operations	O
(	O
including	O
firing	O
and	O
reloading	O
)	O
and	O
aiming	O
functions	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
optic	O
zoom	O
level	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
uses	O
these	O
inputs	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
lower	O
body	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
translational	O
sliding	O
(	O
apart	O
then	O
together	O
)	O
is	O
mapped	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
separation	O
of	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
legs	O
,	O
simulating	O
stepping	O
when	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
is	O
upright	O
and	O
crawling	O
when	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
is	O
prone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
up-down	O
movement	O
of	O
the	O
pedals	O
is	O
mapped	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
postural	O
height	O
via	O
the	O
flexing	O
of	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
legs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
to	O
continuously	O
transition	O
from	O
standing	O
tall	O
to	O
a	O
low	O
crouch	O
(	O
or	O
kneel	O
when	O
the	O
legs	O
are	O
apart	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
prone	O
from	O
hands-and-knees	O
to	O
belly-on-the-ground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
precisely	O
control	O
their	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
postural	O
height	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
make	O
better	O
use	O
of	O
cover	O
and	O
concealment	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
look	O
and	O
shoot	O
out	O
from	O
behind	O
cover	O
while	O
minimizing	O
their	O
exposure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BIS	O
worked	O
closely	O
with	O
NRL	O
to	O
tightly	O
integrate	O
the	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
interface	O
with	O
VBS	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
allow	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
to	O
control	O
the	O
posture	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
avatar	B-Application
on	O
a	O
continuous	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
detailed	O
articulation	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
avatar	B-Application
is	O
made	O
visible	O
to	O
other	O
squad	O
members	O
running	O
in	O
a	O
networked	O
simulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman-enhanced	O
VBS	O
(	O
VBS-Pointman	O
)	O
supports	O
the	O
operation	O
of	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
small	O
arms	O
and	O
additional	O
forms	O
of	O
mobility	O
,	O
including	O
climbing	O
,	O
swimming	O
,	O
and	O
mounted	O
roles	O
(	O
driver	O
,	O
passenger	O
and	O
gunner	O
)	O
using	O
the	O
full	O
complement	O
of	O
manned	O
vehicles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointman	B-General_Concept
was	O
designed	O
by	O
Dr.	O
Jim	O
Templeman	O
of	O
NRL	O
and	O
implemented	O
by	O
Patricia	O
Denbrook	O
of	O
DCS	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
NRL	O
's	O
Base	O
Funding	O
Program	O
supported	O
the	O
initial	O
development	O
of	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
the	O
USMC	O
Program	O
Manager	O
Training	O
Systems	O
(	O
PM_TRASYS	O
)	O
together	O
with	O
the	O
Office	O
of	O
Naval	O
Research	O
(	O
ONR	O
)	O
Rapid	O
Technology	O
Transition	O
program	O
office	O
supported	O
its	O
integration	O
with	O
VBS2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ONR	O
's	O
Human	O
Performance	O
,	O
Training	O
,	O
and	O
Education	O
Thrust	O
Area	O
added	O
its	O
support	O
in	O
refining	O
and	O
demonstrating	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
formal	O
Military	O
Utility	O
Assessment	O
(	O
MUA	O
)	O
of	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
integrated	O
with	O
VBS2	O
was	O
performed	O
by	O
the	O
MarForPac	O
Experimentation	O
Center	O
at	O
MCB	O
Hawaii	O
in	O
September	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
squad	O
of	O
Marines	O
that	O
participated	O
in	O
the	O
study	O
(	O
Golf	O
Company	O
,	O
2nd	O
Battalion	O
,	O
34d	O
Marine	O
Regiment	O
)	O
gave	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
high	O
marks	O
for	O
realism	O
and	O
usability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
survey	O
questions	O
,	O
the	O
Marines	O
felt	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
realistically	O
:	O
control	O
viewing	O
,	O
perform	O
tactical	O
movements	O
,	O
control	O
the	O
virtual	O
rifle	O
,	O
utilize	O
cover	O
,	O
and	O
control	O
the	O
avatar	B-Application
’s	O
posture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NRL	O
is	O
continuing	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
interface	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
ongoing	O
research	O
in	O
expressive	O
interaction	O
for	O
desktop	O
simulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
involves	O
extending	O
Pointman	B-General_Concept
to	O
include	O
non-verbal	O
communications	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
eye	O
movements	O
,	O
facial	O
expression	O
,	O
and	O
arm	O
gestures	O
)	O
needed	O
to	O
support	O
team	O
and	O
cross-cultural	O
interaction	O
,	O
without	O
limiting	O
tactical	O
mobility	O
.	O
</s>
