Introduction. Spatial disorientation (SD) is one of the major concerns in operational aviation medicine, due to its involvement in many aircraft incidents and mishaps. In 2002, the ItAF Aerospace Medicine Department in Pratica di Mare AFB developed a Spatial Disorientation countermeasures and avoidance strategies course, in order to increase awareness and recovery effectiveness in TARF and RW aircrew. Methods. A questionnaire was administered to ItAF Eurofighter Typhoon pilots within Operational Wings and Flight Test Squadron. The survey was focused on type 2 (recognized) SD phenomena occurrence and in-flight use of DRF (Disorientation Recovery Function). Results. 38 questionnaires were filled by operational and experimental pilots. All individuals recognized SD situations were rapidly, and every pilot received in the past a ground-based or an in-flight training specifically dedicated to SD. The activation of the DRF for recovering from unusual attitudes during an operational flight mission occurred only 2 times. Conclusions. In this survey, type 2 SD was experienced by 53% of subjects. Only two of them activated the DRF in unusual attitude conditions. All pilots previously underwent a dedicated ground-based training on SD and 44% of them received also some in-flight demonstrations. In our opinion, SD avoidance training is an outstanding strategy for an early detection of different forms of in-flight SD illusions, leading to a prompt recovery to a fully controlled flight.
OBJECTIVES In this study, a system able to estimate the user’s mental workload by using his/her electroencephalographic (EEG) activity has been tested on four professional Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) while performing an ecological Air-Traffic-Management (ATM) task under different difficulty levels. METHODS Four professional ATCOs from the Italian ENAV (Societa Nazionale per l’Assistenza al Volo) have been asked to perform an ecological ATM task by the eDEP simulation platform developed by EUROCONTROL. During the execution of the task, the difficulty level varied increasing from an easy to a hard condition, and then returning to an easy one. Furthermore, the subjective perception of the mental workload has been collected during the task for each subject by using the Instantaneous Self-Assessment (ISA) technique. The EEG-based and the subjective estimated workload indexes have been compared in terms of correlation and workload levels discrimination. RESULTS The results showed i) a high positive and significant correlation between the two indexes and ii) despite the low sample size, the EEG-based workload indexes along the different difficulty levels were significantly different, according to the ISA results. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, it has been demonstrated that the EEG-based mental workload index could be used to monitor the variation of cognitive resources demand in real operative scenario.
Objective : To compare the incidence of B-lines and changes in clinical parameters in participants acutely exposed to hypobaric hypoxia after ascending to high altitude by flight vs. climbing. Study design : Cross-sectional. Methods: Chest ultrasonography, clinical parameters (SpO 2 , HR and BR) and signs and symptoms of high altitude illnesses were assessed by blinded investigators in 40 participants after ascent to 3830 m. 19 participants were flown by helicopter, 14 participants slept at 3029 m the night before ascending and 7 participants climbed nonstop. Results : The mean number of B-lines in participants who were flown by helicopter was similar to the number in participants who ascended by climbing (7.1±5.7 vs. 7.9±6.0, P=0.686). The two groups did not differ in LLS, SpO 2 or BR despite that HR showed a marginally significant difference. Conclusions: B-lines after exposure to hypobaric hypoxia seem to be independent of the physical effort to ascend. It is important to further investigate B-lines in subjects exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for work and training purposes, also in the aerospace field.
This paper describes an experiment based on a modified version of the classic Ishihara Test for the evaluation of the degree and type of colorblindness. This work originates from the following observations: commonly used tests for color blindness assessment use color patterns without generating edges between the colors to discriminate. Furthermore, in normal sighted people, edges have a very important role in the generation of the chromatic sensation. For this purpose we created an alternative set of Ishihara plates in which we expand colored blobs until they touch each other, generating an edge. We have developed a mobile application for the execution of the test and a database for storing the data. Preliminary results are here presented. Keywords : Color blindness, Vision, Ishihara test
Sending humans to Mars in the coming decades is the realistic goal of several public and private space actors. In order to allow the establishment of sustainable and expandable human outposts there by alleviating the need for sending from Earth consumables needed to sustain crews, a long-term goal of our team is to develop Mars-specific, autonomous (Earth-independent) Biological Life Support Systems (BLSS). Our approach is based on linking on-site resources to BLSS, by using selected cyanobacteria for processing resources found on Mars’s surface into a substrate suitable for feeding organisms used in BLSS. The project presented here represents one of the steps we are taking in this direction.
OBJECTIVES To propose a design concept to prevent loss of consciousness induced by gravitational acceleration. STUDY DESIGN Literature review. METHODS A proposal for the development of a multiparametric system aimed at early detection of G-LOC episodes in pilots during flight has been developed. RESULTS The multiparametric system could prevent G-LOC in student pilots, warn test pilots of the risk of G-LOC and improve the pilots technical centrifuge training. CONCLUSIONS The development of a multiparametric prototype system may be a potential source of innovation to correlate physiological parameters of the pilot with +Gz.
MARS 105 experiment, involving six male volunteers for 105 days under a space-like confined environment in Star-City, Moscow, was designed to study the effects of isolation on physiological parameters inde-pendently of microgravity per se. The aim of this study was to verify whether under such conditions, the slightly higher glucose levels usually associated with sustained stress, might be associated with increased androgen output and/or symptoms and signs of different andro-genization as a consequence of the need to cope with an extremely engaging task.
Vestibular mechanisms for spatial orientation can be quantitatively studied by means of visual indicators in darkness. As regards the perceived horizontal plane, the test subject may adjust a luminous line so that it appears to be horizontal or a dot so that it appears to be at eye level. It is often assumed that certain disorienting fight manoeuvres, such as the entering of a co-ordinated turn, may be simulated in a gondola centrifuge. This article reviews some of the studies performed with visual indicators in the gondola centrifuge in Stockholm and in the dynamic fight simulator (DFS) in Linkoping. One main theme has been the interaction between the semicircular canals and otolith organs in situations where these two sources of informa- tion are in confict with each other, as is often the case during fight. Another central issue is how the brain interprets complex patterns of canal stimuli and whether elementary flight situations can be recreated in simulators in a way that is convincing to the sense of balance. To elucidate the significance of flight experience we have measured the ability of fighter pilots, helicopter pilots, and naive test subjects to perceive angular displacements in roll and pitch.
► INTRODUCTION This study presents here the research of reliable indexes for monitoring the cognitive workload that the pilots face during flight missions, besides their operational performances. In fact, the availability of such indexes would be a useful tool for the assessment of the spare cognitive capacity of the pilots during flight. This represents the capacity of facing unexpected unusual attitudes or emergency situations. Those cerebral indicators could also be used for the evaluation of the novice's improvements during their pilot training. Useful information and differences between a group of novice and expert military pilots, in terms of brain activity, have been found during flight simulations using those indexes. ► METHODS The experimental sessions consisted in simulated flights for unusual upset recovery training with the MB339 - alpha airplane. During the cruise phase experimental tests have also been done by the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology for the Silent Communication. The participants have been divided in two groups, the Experts with a mean total flight hours of 1450, 467 of which on the MB339, and the Novices with a mean total flight hours of 157, 36 of which on the MB339. Their brain activities were recorded and analyzed by high resolution electroencephalography (HREEG). In addition, autonomic activities such as heart rate and eye blinks rate, have also been recorded. Specific neurometric indexes have been defined for the correlation between the subjective workload assessment, by the NASA - TLX and a questionnaire for the difficulty evaluation, and the mental workload. At the end, statistical significance was evaluated by the ANOVA test. ► RESULTS Results have shown the existence of cognitive, emotional and performance differences between novice and expert pilots during the same flight activities. Brain and autonomic data were analyzed by defining specific indexes and evaluating the variations in each phase of the flight simulation. The mean values of the workload index and of the heart rate of the novices were higher than those of the experts, showing that the novices' workload was greater and that the experts were more relaxed during the simulated flight mission. In addition, the mean value of the eye blinks rate was lower for the experts than for the novices, and this meant that the first group paid more attention to what they were doing and to what happened in the surrounding environment. These facts have been confirmed by the analysis of the cortical maps, where the novices' cortical activity, in different frequency bands, was greater than the experts' cortical activity, and by the mean total scores of the NASA - TLX and of the subjective difficulty evaluation. ► CONCLUSIONS In this study it was possible to evaluate the usefulness of the workload index from the neurometric measures (EEG, blinks rate and heart rate) of military pilots. The results suggest the possibility to use benchmarks during the educational formation of the pilots for the evaluation of their performances with respect to specific reference values and parameters. In addition, it will be possible to adapt the educational flight programs in relation to the individual operational necessities, improving the organization of all the operational units and of the pilots' training.
A perilymphatic fistula is an abnormal connection between the middle and inner ear spaces, specifically between the air-filled middle ear and the perilymphatic space of the inner ear [1]. Common presenting audiological symptoms and signs of perilymphatic fistula include sensorineural hearing loss that is often fluctuating and tinnitus. Vestibular symptoms are rotational vertigo or other usually nonspecific including mild unsteadiness and disequilibrium [2]. An unusual case of motion sickness, in which a perilymphatic fistula was finally diagnosed, is discussed.
