Dynamics of the G-excess illusion

The G-excess illusion is increasingly recognized as a cause of aviation mishaps especially when pilots perform high-speed, steeply banked turns at low altitudes. Centrifuge studies of this illusion have examined the perception of subject orientation and/or target displacement during maintained hypergravity with the subject's head held stationary. The transient illusory perceptions produced by moving the head in hypergravity are difficult to study onboard centrifuges because the high angular velocity ensures the presence of strong Coriolis cross-coupled semicircular canal effects that mask immediate transient otolith-organ effects. The present study reports perceptions following head movements in hypergravity produced by high-speed aircraft maintaining a banked attitude with low angular velocity to minimize cross-coupled effects. Methods: Fourteen subjects flew on the NASA KC-135 and were exposed to resultant gravity forces of 1.3, 1.5, and 1.8 G for 3 minute periods. On command, seated subjects made controlled head movements in roll, pitch, and yaw at 30 second intervals both in the dark and with faint targets at a distance of 5 feet. Results: head movement produced transient perception of target displacement and velocity at levels as low as 1.3 G. Reports of target velocity without appropriate corresponding displacement were common. At 1.8 G when yaw head movements were made from a face down position, 4 subjects reported oscillatory rotational target displacement with fast and slow alternating components suggestive of torsional nystagmus. Head movements evoked symptoms of nausea in most subjects, with 2 subjects and 1 observer vomiting. Conclusions: The transient percepts present conflicting signals, which introduced confusion in target and subject orientation. Repeated head movements in hypergravity generate nausea by mechanisms distinct from cross-coupled Coriolis effects

CPR Assistive Device

350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year, 90% of which are fatal. To increase a patient’s chance for survival, adequate bystander CPR must be performed. Existing real-time feedback CPR devices don’t satisfy all criteria in being intuitive, cost-effective, portable, and giving audio and visual feedback. Our final CPR device satisfies all criteria, giving both audio and visual feedback with a 110-bpm metronome and 3 LEDs that correspond to compression depth from acceleration data collected from a 9DF accelerometer. It is portable, intuitive, and costs less than $25. A designed spring box apparatus tested compressions with the device for 100 2-minute compression tests, to prove a 73% success. IRB subject tests show that the device increased CPR confidence in 96% of users

CPR Assistive Device

350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year, 90% of which are fatal. To increase a patient’s chance for survival, adequate bystander CPR must be performed. Existing real-time feedback CPR devices don’t satisfy all criteria in being intuitive, cost-effective, portable, and giving audio and visual feedback. Our final CPR device satisfies all criteria, giving both audio and visual feedback with a 110-bpm metronome and 3 LEDs that correspond to compression depth from acceleration data collected from a 9DF accelerometer. It is portable, intuitive, and costs less than $25. A designed spring box apparatus tested compressions with the device for 100 2-minute compression tests, to prove a 73% success. IRB subject tests show that the device increased CPR confidence in 96% of users

Implementation of a acceleration estimator based compensation scheme to increase load data accuracy for a robotic testing system for CPR-manikins

Laerdal Medical is a producer of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training manikins, all of which undergo rigorous endurance and accuracy testing. This work proposes an acceleration estimator based compensation scheme for a industrial robot manipulator product testing system with the intention of increasing load data accuracy for the purpose of product review and calibration. As part of the compensation scheme four different acceleration estimators are implemented and compared. Results indicate that the compensation scheme increases the load data accuracy by 1.5 - 6 % of the reference value depending on compression depth and spring rate. However the accuracy goal of 0.4 [kg] is not reached. The work has also uncovered the presence of position error in the robot. Thus, further improvement to the compensation scheme and positional error compensation is required

Medical evaluations on the KC-135 1991 flight report summary

The medical investigations completed on the KC-135 during FY 1991 in support of the development of the Health Maintenance Facility and Medical Operations are presented. The experiments consisted of medical and engineering evaluations of medical hardware and procedures and were conducted by medical and engineering personnel. The hardware evaluated included prototypes of a crew medical restraint system and advanced life support pack, a shuttle orbiter medical system, an airway medical accessory kit, a supplementary extended duration orbiter medical kit, and a surgical overhead canopy. The evaluations will be used to design flight hardware and identify hardware-specific training requirements. The following procedures were evaluated: transport of an ill or injured crewmember at man-tended capability, surgical technique in microgravity, transfer of liquids in microgravity, advanced cardiac life support using man-tended capability Health Maintenance Facility hardware, medical transport using a model of the assured crew return vehicle, and evaluation of delivery mechanisms for aerosolized medications in microgravity. The results of these evaluation flights allow for a better understanding of the types of procedures that can be performed in a microgravity environment

C-9 and Other Microgravity Simulations

This document represents a summary of medical and scientific evaluations conducted aboard the C-9 or other NASA-sponsored aircraft from June 30, 2006, to June 30, 2007. Included is a general overview of investigations manifested and coordinated by the Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office. A collection of brief reports that describe tests conducted aboard the NASA-sponsored aircraft follows the overview. Principal investigators and test engineers contributed significantly to the content of the report, describing their particular experiment or hardware evaluation. Although this document follows general guidelines, each report format may vary to accommodate differences in experiment design and procedures. This document concludes with an appendix that provides background information about the Reduced Gravity Program

KC-135 and Other Microgravity Simulations

This document represents a summary of medical and scientific evaluations conducted aboard the KC-135 from June 23, 2004 to June 27, 2005. Included is a general overview of KC-135 activities manifested and coordinated by the Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office. A collection of brief reports that describe tests conducted aboard the KC-135 follows the overview. Principal investigators and test engineers contributed significantly to the content of the report describing their particular experiment or hardware evaluation. This document concludes with an appendix that provides background information concerning the KC-135 and the Reduced-Gravity Program

Hope College Abstracts: 16th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance

The 16th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance was held on April 21, 2017 in the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College and featured student-faculty collaborative research projects. This program is a record reflective of those projects between the 2016-2017 academic year