Technical Reports
A technical report is a technical document that records and disseminates methods and results from research studies and research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) activities. Technical reports are USAARL's principal method of in-depth reporting on technical subjects that are of interest not only to the department, agency, or command sponsoring the work, but also to external groups and laboratories in government, academia, and industry. Technical reports may vary in type, to include technical reports that present the findings of research or analyses or that provide guidance or instruction on matters important to the DoD, journal articles (open access and embargoed text) that have been published under an open access agreement with the publisher or published under a Creative Commons license, conference proceedings that include whole collections of papers presented at a symposium or workshop, and conference papers that could include an individual paper, briefing charts, or a poster presented at a workshop or symposium. For inquiries related to USAARL's technical report(s), contact usarmy-usaarl-library@health.mil.
Featured Reports
For more reports, please visit the technical reports archive page.
TITLE:Evaluating the Suitability for Eye Tracking in Simulated Rotary Wing Flight Simulators
AUTHOR(s):Aura, C., Yue, X., Andres, K., Wilson, M., & Feltman, K.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:Eye tracking is gaining favor in operator state monitoring (OSM) in that it provides non-invasive access to arousal, autonomic tone, neurological condition, and potentially, cognitive workload by recording changes in pupil diameter and eye movement dynamics. However, the operational environment of rotary-wing aviation has unique challenges to effective eye tracking, such as uncontrolled luminance changes, exposure to vibration, and more physical movement by the aviator than is typical in fixed-wing and ground vehicle systems. Developments in eye tracking technology have enabled researchers to achieve better access to human subjects' behavior in a wider range of settings, potentially allowing the assessment of cognitive workload, fatigue, and changes in autonomic function in military operational settings. Many different eye tracking systems are currently available. These can be broadly categorized by configuration as remotely mounted multi-camera arrays, remotely mounted single cameras, and head-mounted camera arrays. These different configurations each have their own pros and cons. To date, no comparison between these different systems has been completed to determine which configuration is most suitable for a cockpit environment. Here, we present findings from studies of workload supporting the scientific validity of eye tracking variables for consideration in OSM as well as findings from an evaluation of different (Continued on SF298).
KEYWORDS:Flight, simulation, eye tracking, pupillometry, operator state monitoring
TITLE:The Effects of Simulated Hearing Loss on Aviator Performance and Cognitive Workload During Simulated Flight
AUTHOR(s):Jones, H., Hale, K., Lee, K., Henry, P., Stefanson, JR, Mackie, R., & Noetzel, J.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:Army aviators require a level of hearing acuity to communicate in high operational tempos, which includes the use of multiple radios while performing flight operations. Military operations, including rotary-wing aircraft noise, present short-term risks to the communication abilities of Army aircrew and long-term risks to aviator hearing health in the form of hearing loss, which can be temporary or permanent. Hearing loss can render an aviator more susceptible to the adverse effects of degraded communication signal quality and consequently lead to an increased allocation of mental resources to hear, referred to as 'listening effort.' Army aviation hearing standards, which are primarily based on pure tone testing and speech recognition scores in quiet, do not necessarily predict the functional impact of hearing loss. Given this, the current study aimed to first determine the scope of hearing loss in Army aviators over the past five years and analyze the impact of current threshold requirements on in-flight performance data from pilots presented with simulated hearing loss. Poster presented at the Military Health System Research Symposium, 14-17 August, 2023 in Kissimmee, FL.
KEYWORDS:Hearing loss, aviator performance, fitness for duty standards
TITLE:Retinal Structural Integrity and Visual Field Function in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
AUTHOR(s):Trinh, T., & Viswanathan, S.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:The visual system is vulnerable to traumatic brain injury. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an objective, non-invasive imaging technology to capture and evaluate ocular structures with precision and high resolution. Also, standard automated perimetry (SAP) is widely used to screen and manage afferent disorders, including optic nerve conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate optic nerve, macular thickness, and visual field functions in patients with chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular thickness were measured using the HRA-SPECTRALIS from Heidelberg Engineering. Standard automated perimetry was assessed using the Humphrey Field Analyzer from Carl Zeiss Meditec with Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA). The study found a reduction in the global pRNFL and visual field sensitivity and their deviation from age-expected values in patients with chronic mTBI compared to age-matched, healthy controls suggest that OCT and SAP can be utilized to assist in monitoring neurodegeneration and functional deficits after mTBI. Alterations in the axoplasmic flow in the prelaminar and post-laminar optic nerve may lead to thinning of the peripapillary RNFL. The reduction in the RNFL thickness could be a structural biomarker of the neurodegeneration after mTBI.
KEYWORDS:Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), optical coherence tomography (OCT), standard automated perimetry (SAP), Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA), visual field (VF)
TITLE:The Response Slider: An Inexpensive, Microprocessor Controlled Linear Potentiometer for Acquiring Multivariate Magnitude Estimation Data
AUTHOR(s):Nagy, R., Meredith, K., O'Brien, K., & Temme, L.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:The present report describes and documents a component of the USAARL Virtual Reality Vection System (VRVS). The VRVS is a versatile, inexpensive, tool designed to investigate and characterize vection as a model of spatial disorientation (SD). In aviation, SD refers to the potentially catastrophic situation in which a pilot fails to correctly understand the position, motion, direction, or attitude of the aircraft with respect to the Earth's surface. Vection is a form of SD that generates the feeling of motion in an individual who is not moving. Since vection can be reliably generated under controlled laboratory conditions, it is a convenient model to study, characterize, and demonstrate SD. The response slider is designed to record a measure of estimated vection magnitude as a function of stimulus duration. Poster presented at the Military Health System Research Symposium, 14-17 August, 2023 in Kissimmee, FL.
KEYWORDS:Vection, spatial disorientation, SD, aviation, virtual reality, cybersickness, visual illusions, motion, visually induced motion sickness
TITLE:The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory Virtual Reality Vection System
AUTHOR(s):Temme, L., & Nagy, R.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:This presentation describes and documents the USAARL Virtual Reality Vection System (VRVS), a versatile, inexpensive, tool to investigate and characterize vection as a form of spatial disorientation (SD). In aviation, SD refers to the potentially catastrophic situation in which a pilot failsto correctly understand the position, motion, direction, or attitude of the aircraft with respect to the Earth's surface. Vection is a form of SD that generates the feeling of movement in an individual who is not moving. Since vection can be reliably generated under controlled laboratory conditions, it is a convenient model of SD. The VRVS is described, including its components, software, hardware and user interfaces. Tests and evaluations conducted while creating the VRVS demonstrate that the system reliably provokes vection-based SD. The VRVS includes two complementary methods for quantifying the presence and magnitude of the vection illusion. The VRVS enables the simultaneous measurement of vection as well as symptoms of cybersickness. Poster presented at the Military Health System Research Symposium, 14-17 August, 2023 in Kissimmee, FL.
KEYWORDS:Vection, spatial disorientation, SD, aviation, virtual reality, cybersickness, visual illusions, motion, visually induced motion sickness
TITLE:Comparison of Whole-body Vibration Biodynamics between Healthy Human Subjects and Injured Swine Models Subjected to Similar Ground Medical Evacuation Transports
AUTHOR(s):Kinsler, R., & Lloyd, A.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:The overall objective of this project was to compare data sets from studies using healthy human subjects and studies using injured animal models subjected to similar ground transport insults to determine feasibility and suitability of using the injured animal model as a reasonable approximation for an injured human patient during ground medical evacuation transport. The biodynamic response of the swine model and the biodynamic response of a healthy human model exhibit similar patterns to the same ground ambulance excitations. Anthropometric measures, root-mean-square acceleration analyses, power spectral density calculations, and transmissibility calculations from each study were provided. Examination of the data and comparison of the swine with an existing supine human model for whole body vibration response indicates it is reasonable to conclude the swine is an acceptable model for the biodynamic response of humans subjected to ground transport, if appropriate scaling factors can be defined and applied.
KEYWORDS:Vibration, acceleration, rotational velocity, medical evacuation, MEDEVAC, immobilization, ground ambulance, enroute care, vibration mitigation, vibration transmissibility
TITLE:Direct Comparison of Eye Tracking Data Loss Between Systems Utilizing Three Common Camera Mounting Configurations in a UH-60M Black Hawk Simulator
AUTHOR(s):Aura, C., Yue, X., Andres, K., & Feltman, K.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:Performance comparison of eye tracking camera systems, by mounting configuration, in the UH-60M cockpit layout.
KEYWORDS:Eye tracking, UH-60M cockpit, pupillometry
TITLE:Evaluating Operator State Using Eye Tracking and Pupillometry in Rotary-wing Pilots During Simulated Flight
AUTHOR(s):Aura, C., Yue, X., McAtee, A., Basso, J., Mathews, C., Maldonado, F., Wilkins, J., & Feltman, K.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:Flight operations in degraded visual environments (DVE) pose significant risks to the aviators completing those operations. DVE occurs when an aviator is exposed to partial or total loss of visibility due to environmental factors, such as airborne dust, sand, or snow, as well as clouds, haze, fog, and starless nights. The implementation of advanced flight controls, sensors, and cueing delivered via the visual, auditory, and tactile senses has promise to mitigate the risk of accidents and mishaps in such conditions. U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) researchers recently completed a study evaluating the Integrated Cueing Environment (ICE) developed by U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command researchers. Eye tracking was conducted to reveal how the pilot visually interacts with the symbology, and to assess arousal, autonomic tone, and potentially, cognitive workload, while they engage in the flight tasks. Presented at Aerospace Medicine Association's Annual Conference in 2023.
KEYWORDS:Eye tracking, UH-60M cockpit, pupillometry, integrated cueing environment, auditory cueing, tactile cueing
TITLE:Predicting Head Flail Response to Impact Acceleration using Historical Human Volunteer Data and a Velocity-Based Linear Regression Approach
AUTHOR(s):Olszko, A., McGovern, S., Abraczinskas, A., Robinette, A., Vasquez, K., Chancey, V. C., & Brozoski, F.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:Models used for predicting head flail response were developed using an existing collection of human research volunteer (HRV) test data from the Naval Biodynamics Laboratory collection within the Biodynamics Data Resource (BDR) of the US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory. Verification and validation were completed for the response models for frontal, axial, and lateral impact directions. The response models were verified to accurately predict the HRV response used to develop the model. The response models were validated to accurately predict the anteroposterior (AP), lateral, and vertical displacements for BDR HRV tests with similar boundary conditions but different input parameters than those of the BDR HRV tests used to develop the response model. The response models were not shown to be valid for predicting subject responses to higher sled acceleration levels and velocity changes found in literature. The primary reason for this is the differences in initial and boundary conditions between the NBDL dataset and the datasets from literature.
KEYWORDS:Occupant flail, head flail, model, regression, Biodynamics Data Resource, BDR
TITLE:Helmet Mounted Display Design Guidelines for Future Vertical Lift Aircraft
AUTHOR(s):Harding, T., & McLean, W.
ABBREVIATED ABSTRACT:This report contains recommendations for helmet mounted displays in Future Vertical Lift aircraft.
KEYWORDS:Helmet mounted display, HMD, FVL, Future Vertical Lift
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Last Modified Date: 2023-04-14