title: Enhancing pilot performance with a SymBodic system.
abstract: Increased fatigue of pilots during long flights can place both humans and machine at high risk. In this paper, we describe our research on a SymBodic (SYMbiotic BODies) system designed to minimize pilot fatigue in a simulated 48 hour mission. The system detected the pilot's sleep breaks and used this information to plan future sleep breaks. When fatigue could not be prevented, the SymBodic system assisted the pilot by providing relevant flight information through a vibro-tactile vest. Experiments showed that it was difficult for the pilot to adapt to the suggested sleep schedule within the duration of the experiment, and fatigue was not avoided. However, during periods of severe sleep deprivation, the SymBodic system significantly improved piloting performance.
authors.affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering in Medicine group (ECEM), University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada. walter.karlen@ieee.org
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Karlen
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cardin
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thalmann
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Floreano
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000401:Aircraft; D005221:Fatigue; D006801:Humans; D012892:Sleep Deprivation; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance