Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Sep 2;12(3):10.16910/jemr.12.3.3.
doi: 10.16910/jemr.12.3.3.

Estimating Pilots' Cognitive Load From Ocular Parameters Through Simulation and In-Flight Studies

M Dilli Babu  1   2   3 , D V JeevithaShree  4 , Gowdham Prabhakar  4 , Kamal Preet Singh Saluja  4 , Abhay Pashilkar  2   3 , Pradipta Biswas  4
Affiliations

Estimating Pilots' Cognitive Load From Ocular Parameters Through Simulation and In-Flight Studies

M Dilli Babu et al. J Eye Mov Res. .

Abstract

Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head. This paper investigated use of eye gaze trackers in military aviation environment to automatically estimate pilot's cognitive load from ocular parameters. In the first study, we used a fixed base variable stability flight simulator with longitudinal tracking task and collected data from 14 military pilots. In a second study, we undertook four test flights with BAES Hawk Trainer and Jaguar aircrafts doing air to ground attack training missions and constant G level turn maneuvers up to +5G. Our study found that ocular parameters like rate of fixation is significantly different in different flying conditions. It also significantly correlated with rate of descent during air to ground dive training task, normal load factor (G) of the aircraft during constant G level turn maneuvers and pilot's control inceptor and tracking error in simulation tasks. Results from our studies can be used for real time estimation of pilots' cognitive load, providing suitable warnings and alerts to the pilot in cockpit and training of military pilots on cognitive load management during operational missions.

Keywords: Cognitive Load; aviation safety; eye gaze tracking; fixation; pupil dilation; saccades.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental Set Up for Cognitive Load Estimation
Figure 2
Figure 2
Tracking Task (HUD View)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Tracking Task (HUD View)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sum of Sine (SOS) Task
Figure 4
Figure 4
Two Opposing and Constantly Closing Boundaries
Figure 5
Figure 5
Secondary Arrow Task at Left Bottom
Figure 6
Figure 6
Ocular parameters for different conditions
Figure 6
Figure 6
Ocular parameters for different conditions
Figure 6
Figure 6
Ocular parameters for different conditions
Figure 6
Figure 6
Ocular parameters for different conditions
Figure 7
Figure 7
Comparing different ocular parameters for estimating cognitive load
Figure 8
Figure 8
Change in parameters with decreasing boundary sizes
Figure 8
Figure 8
Change in parameters with decreasing boundary sizes
Figure 9
Figure 9
Variations in fixation rate
Figure 10
Figure 10
Variations in saccade rate
Figure 11
Figure 11
Variations in pupil dilation
Figure 11
Figure 11
Variations in pupil dilation
Figure 12
Figure 12
Comparing average fixation rates
Figure 13
Figure 13
Eye gaze fixations during constant G level maneuver
Figure 13
Figure 13
Eye gaze fixations during constant G level maneuver
Figure 14
Figure 14
Variations in fixation rate during constant G level turn maneuvers
Figure 15
Figure 15
Eye gaze fixations during 1st Air to Ground attack maneuver
Figure 15
Figure 15
Eye gaze fixations during 1st Air to Ground attack maneuver
Figure 16
Figure 16
Fixation Rate varies according to the Rate of descent
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Harper, Jr, R., & Cooper, G. (1984, October). Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics-Handling Qualities and Pilot Evaluation. In Aircraft Design Systems and Operations Meeting (p. 2442).
    1. Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC). Flying Qualities Testing. Edwards AFB, CA: 20 February 2002.
    1. Wilson, G.F., Fullenkamp, P., & Davis, I. (1994). Evoked Potential, Cardiac, Blink, and Respiration Measures of Pilot Workload in Air-to-Ground Missions. Aviation, Space, and Environmental medicine, 65 2, 100-5. - PubMed
    1. Kramer, A. F. (1991). Physiological Metrics of Mental Workload: A Review of Recent Progress. Multiple-Task Performance, 279-328.
    1. Marshall, S. P. (2007). Identifying Cognitive State from Eye Metrics. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 78(5), B165-B175. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources