Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search

An evaluation of pilot electroencephalographic activity during a helicopter tracking task

From National Research Council Canada

Linkhttps://www.proceedings.com/57051.html
AuthorSearch for: 1; Search for: ; Search for: 1; Search for: 1
Affiliation
  1. National Research Council Canada. Aerospace
FormatText, Article
ConferenceVertical Flight Society's 76th Annual Forum and Technology Display, October 5-8, 2020, Virtual Online
Subjectaircraft detection; clutter (information theory); electrophysiology; quality control; velocity; electroencephalography
Abstract
Two experimental test pilots performed an in-flight target tracking task on NRC's highly modified fly-by-wire Bell 205 helicopter. Target tracking errors, Cooper-Harper handling quality ratings, and pilot control activity confirmed that task difficulty was proportional to target velocity. Electroencephalography (EEG) data was acquired to investigate task-dependent changes in theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-13 Hz), and beta (13-22 Hz) oscillations. In addition, EEG-derived workload and task engagement indices were computed from these EEG bands and compared across task difficulty conditions. The EEG workload index was proportional to task difficulty for both pilots, whereas the EEG engagement indices revealed that the pilots' vigilance may have been higher during the low-velocity and high-velocity trials than the medium-velocity trials. These findings suggest that EEG-derived metrics provide complementary information about in-flight changes in pilot cognitive state that are not easily detected using subjective ratings, performance measures, or control activity metrics.
Publication date
PublisherVertical Flight Society
In
  • 76th Annual Vertical Flight Society Forum and Technology Display (Forum 76): the Future of Vertical Flight: Online, 5-8 October 2020 (5 October 2020): 2714–2721.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
Export citationExport as RIS
Report a correctionReport a correction (opens in a new tab)
Record identifier84da3502-4e17-4bf3-b425-07ebb717488a
Record created2022-07-22
Record modified2025-10-15
Date modified: