Automation plays a significant role in the cockpit enabling humans to perform beyond normal abilities, but it can lead to suboptimal psychological states such as complacency, boredom, diminished alertness, compromised vigilance, lapsing attention, preoccupation, and absorption.
Due to the emerging problem of the impact of automation on pilot cognitive faculties the CSAOB is performing research training for attention management through a variety of means. Performance and subjective assessments of mental state were
acknowledged to be inadequate motivating mental state estimation research based on psycho physiological measures in flight simulation. We are developing a validated, mobile, unobtrusive psycho physiological sensing suite with machine learning state classification capability. We are creating scenarios for Human attention restoration using psycho physiology in partnership simulations with airline pilots. We will have biofeedback training based mitigation to aid the avoidance of and recovery from lapses. We will be evaluating novel sensors and human autonomy teaming procedures in operational environments towards acceptance, certification, and operational use. We will provide results to the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST).
With attention management training we hope to potentially reduce accidents due to loss of airplane state awareness attribution to distraction by CAST. We want this project to demonstrate how crew state monitoring could optimize human-autonomy teaming and enhance safety.”
Patents
9,084,933 Method and systems for physiologically modulating action role-playing open world video games and simulations which use gesture and body image sensing control input devices
8,858,325 Team electronic gameplay combining different means of control
8,827,717 Physiologically modulating videogames or simulations which use motion-sensing input devices
8,628,333 Method and apparatus for performance optimization through physical perturbation of task elements
8,164,485 System and method for aiding pilot preview, rehearsal, review, and real-time visual acquisition of flight mission progress
8,062,129 Physiological user interface for a multi-user virtual environment
6,478,735 Physiological feedback method and system
6,450,820 Method and apparatus for encouraging physiological self-regulation through modulation of an operator’s control input to a video game or training simulator
6,104,948 Method for visually integrating multiple data acquisition technologies for real time and retrospective analysis
5,377,100 Method of encouraging attention by correlating video game difficulty with attention level
Additional Resources
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/pilot_cognition.html
If you’re interested in utilizing prior FNIRS research, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer website
Tech POC: Angela Harrivel