Heart Rate and Respiration Responses to Real Traffic Pattern Flight

Detecting and Predicting Pilot Mental Workload Using Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review

Measuring pilot mental workload (MWL) is crucial for enhancing aviation safety. However, MWL is a multi-dimensional construct that could be affected by multiple factors. Particularly, in the context of a more automated cockpit setting, the traditional methods of assessing pilot MWL may face challenges. Heart rate variability (HRV) has emerged as a potential tool for detecting pilot MWL during real-flight operations. This review aims to investigate the relationship between HRV and pilot MWL and to assess the performance of machine-learning-based MWL detection systems using HRV parameters. A total of 29 relevant papers were extracted from three databases for review based on rigorous eligibility criteria. We observed significant variability across the reviewed studies, including study designs and measurement methods, as well as machine-learning techniques. Inconsistent results were observed regarding the differences in HRV measures between pilots under varying levels of MWL. Furthermore, for studies that developed HRV-based MWL detection systems, we examined the diverse model settings and discovered that several advanced techniques could be used to address specific challenges. This review serves as a practical guide for researchers and practitioners who are interested in employing HRV indicators for evaluating MWL and wish to incorporate cutting-edge techniques into their MWL measurement approaches.

A Multidimensional Method for Pilot Workload Assessment and Diagnosis

INTRODUCTION: Pilot workload assessment plays an important role on flight safety evaluation, interface design, and airworthiness certification. The design of an effective and reliable workload assessment method is a difficult problem in the human factors field.METHOD: This study proposed to assess pilot workload from four dimensions: cognitive activity, control activity, stress, and flight performance. A set of physiological, behavioral, and flight parameters were recorded and combined hierarchically to achieve overall workload assessment. A simulated flight experiment consisting of three flight phases (standard instrument departure, autopilot cruise, and nonprecision approach) was conducted to test the effectiveness of the proposed workload assessment method.RESULT: Experimental results determined the changes of each objective measure. The overall workload index could significantly distinguish the difference in workload caused by changing task difficulty and the result was consistent with the NASA-TLX. The four workload dimensions provided detailed differences about workload: during nonprecision approach there were more control activities and stress than in other flight phases; during autopilot cruise there were the least control activities and the highest flight performance. The correlation between workload dimensions provided extra diagnostic information: the cognitive and control activities in the approach phase were more stressful than in the takeoff phase; the correlation between control activity and performance was higher in the approach phase than in the takeoff phase.CONCLUSION: This study proposed an effective pilot workload assessment method which could also provide detailed and diagnostic information. It could be used as an auxiliary tool for the development and evaluation of pilot-cockpit interaction.Wang Z, Lu Y, Fu S. A multidimensional method for pilot workload assessment and diagnosis. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(12):932939.

Analysis of Subjects' Vulnerability in a Touch Screen Game Using Behavioral Metrics

In this article, we report results on an experimental study conducted with volunteer subjects playing a touch-screen game with two unique difficulty levels. Subjects have knowledge about the rules of both game levels, but only sufficient playing experience with the easy level of the game, making them vulnerable with the difficult level. Several behavioral metrics associated with subjects' playing the game are studied in order to assess subjects' mental-workload changes induced by their vulnerability. Specifically, these metrics are calculated based on subjects' finger kinematics and decision making times, which are then compared with baseline metrics, namely, performance metrics pertaining to how well the game is played and a physiological metric called pnn50 extracted from heart rate measurements. In balanced experiments and supported by comparisons with baseline metrics, it is found that some of the studied behavioral metrics have the potential to be used to infer subjects' mental workload changes through different levels of the game. These metrics, which are decoupled from task specifics, relate to subjects' ability to develop strategies to play the game, and hence have the advantage of offering insight into subjects' task-load and vulnerability assessment across various experimental settings.

Effect of Illumination on Ocular Status Modifications Induced by Short-Term 3D TV Viewing

Objectives. This study aimed to compare changes in ocular status after 3D TV viewing under three modes of illumination and thereby identify optimal illumination for 3D TV viewing. Methods. The following measures of ocular status were assessed: the accommodative response, accommodative microfluctuation, accommodative facility, relative accommodation, gradient accommodative convergence/accommodation (AC/A) ratio, phoria, and fusional vergence. The observers watched 3D television for 90 minutes through 3D shutter glasses under three illumination modes: A, complete darkness; B, back illumination (50 lx); and C, front illumination (130 lx). The ocular status of the observers was assessed both before and after the viewing. Results. After 3D TV viewing, the accommodative response and accommodative microfluctuation were significantly changed under illumination Modes A and B. The near positive fusional vergence decreased significantly after the 90-minute 3D viewing session under each illumination mode, and this effect was not significantly different among the three modes. Conclusions. Short-term 3D viewing modified the ocular status of adults. The least amount of such change occurred with front illumination, suggesting that this type of illumination is an appropriate mode for 3D shutter TV viewing.

Psychophysiological responses to different levels of cognitive and physical workload in haptic interaction

Psychophysiological measurements, which serve as objective indicators of psychological state, have recently been introduced into human–robot interaction. However, their usefulness in haptic interaction is uncertain, since they are influenced by physical workload. This study analyses psychophysiological responses to a haptic task with three different difficulty levels and two different levels of physical load. Four physiological responses were recorded: heart rate, skin conductance, respiratory rate and skin temperature. Results show that mean respiratory rate, respiratory rate variability and skin temperature show significant differences between difficulty levels regardless of physical load and can be used to estimate cognitive workload in haptic interaction.