Oculometric Indices of Simulator and Aircraft Motion

In a series of three experiments on the effects on eye-scan behavior of both simulator and aircraft motion, the sensitivity of an oculometric measure to motion effects was demonstrated. Fixation Time , defined as the time the eyes spend at a particular location before moving on (saccade) to another fixation point, was found to be sensitive to motion effects in each of the experiments conducted. The first experiment studied differences between simulator motion and no-motion conditions during a series of simulated Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches. The mean fixation time for the no-motion condition was found to be significantly longer than for the motion condition for the five pilots tested. This was true particularly for the Flight Director, the instrument supplying attitude and deviation from glideslope information. A second experiment investigated eye-scan parameters based on data collected in flight, with the oculometer in the NASA Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV), and in the fixed base TSRV simulator. The results of this study were similar to those of the first study, and showed fixation time and rate measures to be sensitive to motion (flight) and no-motion. Motion effects were most evident when the subject was viewing a display supplying attitude and flight path information. A third study addressed the question of the nature of the information provided by motion. Utilizing a part-task (monitoring one instrument), with motion in only one dimension (pitch) ten subjects were tested in no-motion, correct motion, and reversed direction motion conditions. The mean fixation times for the no motion condition were significantly longer than for either motion condition, while the two motion conditions did not differ significantly. The results of the present series of experiments support the hypothesis that motion serves an altering function, providing a cue or clue to the pilot that something happened . The results do not support the hypothesis that direction of motion is conveyed through this type of motion information. The results suggest that simulation without motion cues may represent an understatement of the true capacity of the pilot

Apollo helmet dosimetry experiments Final report

Procedure for measuring heavy cosmic ray particles directly incident on spacecrew

Mental-State Estimation, 1987

Reports on the measurement and evaluation of the physiological and mental state of operators are presented

Visual information transfer. Part 1: Assessment of specific information needs. Part 2: Parameters of appropriate instrument scanning behavior

The present study explored eye scan behavior as a function of level of subject training. Oculometric (eye scan) measures were recorded from each of ten subjects during training trials on a CRT based flight simulation task. The task developed for the study incorporated subtasks representative of specific activities performed by pilots, but which could be performed at asymptotic levels within relatively short periods of training. Changes in eye scan behavior were examined as initially untrained subjects developed skill in the task. Eye scan predictors of performance on the task were found. Examination of eye scan in proximity to selected task events revealed differences in the distribution of looks at the instruments as a function of level of training

Visual information transfer. 1: Assessment of specific information needs. 2: The effects of degraded motion feedback. 3: Parameters of appropriate instrument scanning behavior

Pilot and flight crew assessment of visually displayed information is examined as well as the effects of degraded and uncorrected motion feedback, and instrument scanning efficiency by the pilot. Computerized flight simulation and appropriate physiological measurements are used to collect data for standardization

Usefulness of heart measures in flight simulation

The results of three studies performed at the NASA Langley Research Center are presented to indicate the areas in which heart measures are useful for detecting differences in the workload state of subjects. Tasks that involve the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, such as landing approaches, were excellent candidates for the use of average heart-rate and/or the increase in heart-rate during a task. The latter of these two measures was the better parameter because it removed the effects of diurnal variations in heart-rate and some of the intersubject variability. Tasks which differ in the amount of mental resources required are excellent candidates for heart-rate variability measures. Heart-rate variability measures based upon power spectral density techniques were responsive to the changing task demands of landing approach tasks, approach guidance options, and 2 versus 20 second interstimulus-intervals of a monitoring task. Heart-rate variability measures were especially sensitive to time-on-task when the task was characterized by minimal novelty, complexity, and uncertainty (i.e., heart-rate variability increases as a function of the subjects boredom)

Investigations of lunar materials Final report

Lunar rock erosion estimatio

Using Relative Position and Temporal Judgments to Assess the Effects of Texture and Field of View on Spatial Awareness for Synthetic Vision Systems Displays

Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) depict computer generated views of terrain surrounding an aircraft. In the assessment of textures and field of view (FOV) for SVS, no studies have directly measured the 3 levels of spatial awareness: identification of terrain, its relative spatial location, and its relative temporal location. This work introduced spatial awareness measures and used them to evaluate texture and FOV in SVS displays. Eighteen pilots made 4 judgments (relative angle, distance, height, and abeam time) regarding the location of terrain points displayed in 112 5-second, non-interactive simulations of a SVS heads down display. Texture produced significant main effects and trends for the magnitude of error in the relative distance, angle, and abeam time judgments. FOV was significant for the directional magnitude of error in the relative distance, angle, and height judgments. Pilots also provided subjective terrain awareness ratings that were compared with the judgment based measures. The study found that elevation fishnet, photo fishnet, and photo elevation fishnet textures best supported spatial awareness for both the judgments and the subjective awareness measures

Physiological assessment of task underload

The ultimate goal of research efforts directed at underload, boredom, or complacency in high-technology work environments is to detect conditions or states of the operator that can be demonstrated to lead to performance degradation, and then to intervene in the environment to restore acceptable system performance. Physiological measures may provide indices of changes in condition or state of the operator that may be of value in high-technology work environments. The focus of the present study was on the use of physiological measures in the assessment of operator condition or state in a task underload scenario. A fault acknowledgement task characterized by simple repetitive responses with minimal novelty, complexity, and uncertainty was employed to place subjects in a task underload situation. Physiological measures (electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), and pupil diameter) were monitored during task performance over a one-hour test session for 12 subjects. Each of the physiological measures exhibited changes over the test session indicative of decrements in subject arousal level. While high correlations between physiological measures were found across subjects, individual differences between subjects support the use of profiling techniques to establish baselines unique to each subject