AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014 - 37

Distractions in
high-workload situations
Honeywell looks for 'sweet spot'

LEFT: ADVANCED BRAIN MONITORING

BY SARAH DEENER

MOUNTING DISTRACTIONS IN A HIGH-WORKLOAD phase of flight can test the limits
of a pilot's ability to focus and perform. But what if a system could tap into pilots'
brain waves to automate tasks when they're overwhelmed?
Honeywell Aerospace researchers have used electroencephalography (EEG)
sensors to quantify brain activity and cast light on when someone is at higher risk
of making mistakes. The system could inform technologies that nudge pilots and
other aerospace workers from error-prone mental states into their neurological
"sweet spot," where their performance is highest.
A little stress can be a good thing. With excessive stimuli, however, people
become frazzled and performance deteriorates. Recognizing that its systems' effectiveness depends on human operators, Honeywell has developed a measurement
of cognitive effort that can inform future technologies by identifying when a pilot
is either overloaded or inattentive.
Santosh Mathan, principal scientist in the Honeywell Human Centered Systems
Group in Advanced Technology, said EEGs give a more accurate and immediate
measurement of workload than pilots' recollections or assessments of physical
responses. Using electrodes on the scalp, researchers have recorded and processed
the brain's electrical activity of pilots at a simulator to produce a single metric of
cognitive effort. This metric lays the groundwork for emerging technologies to
step in. The technology can aid Honeywell in testing its product designs, identifying aspects of a design that make users
work harder so that developers can improve
it. It could also detect lapses of attention, as
when a baggage screener has been staring at
a screen for long periods of time.
In flight, new systems could tackle
the doldrums of cruise
flight by engaging a pilot
with relevant tasks when
VIDEO EXTRA
View the video. attention dips; on the
high-workload end of the
spectrum, future technologies could recognize a pilot reaching mental saturation
and bring in automated assistance. Instead of thinking of automation as an all-ornothing proposition, Mathan said, we could use it in proportion to what's needed.
Commercial Honeywell systems may not tap into pilots' brains anytime soon,
but the research is a logical next step for the company, whose products already
aim to minimize excess stimuli at times when workload may overwhelm a pilot.
SmartView synthetic vision declutters the screen when it detects an unusual attitude to focus the crew's attention on correcting it; a 3-D taxi system in the works
removes roll and pitch instruments when the aircraft is on the ground and visually emphasizes important markers such as hold short lines while de-emphasizing
potential distractions.

THIS MONTH
ON THE AOPA JAY
Formation Flying

One of the perks of working with AOPA
Pilot is flying in formation for photo
shoots. It's flying that's demanding and
potentially dangerous, but also a lot
of fun. You can experience the basics
with this scenario for the AOPA Jay.
You'll command a Van's RV-7 flying
on the wing of a second RV-7 to learn
basic formation. Throughout the flight,
a helpful voice from your co-pilot will
help keep you in just the right spot.
Don't have your AOPA Jay
yet? Find out more online (www.
aopa.org/Products-and-Services/
About-the-Jay).
EXTRA

See more about formation flying with
this related content from AOPA Media
* "Formation Flying in an LSA"
(http://tinyurl.com/kembmgb)

* "Fly like a Fighter: Cross-Controlled in
Tight Formation"
(http://tinyurl.com/ngwfblu)

* "Formation Fumbles"
(http://tinyurl.com/pda2psd)

* "Air Safety Quiz: Collision
Avoidance"
(http://tinyurl.com/kteazg9)

* "ASF-Midairs"
(http://tinyurl.com/mqbcuye)

EMAIL sarah.deener@aopa.org

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 37

http://www.aopa.org/Products-and-Services/About-the-Jay http://www.aopa.org/Products-and-Services/About-the-Jay http://tinyurl.com/kembmgb http://tinyurl.com/ngwfblu http://tinyurl.com/pda2psd http://tinyurl.com/kteazg9 http://tinyurl.com/mqbcuye http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2014