Motion Inference During +Gz Acceleration
Abstract
In the combat setting there are times when the pilot's attention is drawn away from the target momentarily and then redirected back to the target. In this scenario the pilot must infer the target's new position based on information about its previous position. This study measured the effect of +Gz on the pilot's ability to make inferences about aircraft position. Methods: Seven subjects (5 male; 2 female) participated. Ages ranged from 24 to 35 years. Acceleration profiles included 3, 5, and 7 Gz, for 15 sec and a 7 G simulated aerial combat maneuver. The psychomotor task involved a target light that traversed the curved path from left to right at a constant velocity and then disappeared. The observer stopped the target by estimating when the target would intersect a fixed point. A secondary task consisted of four letters inside a box; subjects responded to sets containing a vowel. Results: A repeated measures ANOVA was performed for the mean angle error change from baseline performance metric. A significant difference among the 3, 5, and 7 Gz plateaus, and SACM 7 Gz plateau (p=0.0013: Greenhouse-Geisser epsilon=0.69, adjusted p=0.0053). Two-tailed t-tests using the subject means revealed that the 5 Gz (p=0.0274), 7 Gz (p=0.0037), and SACM 7 Gz (p=0.0005) plateau means to be significantly different from zero. Conclusions: A pilot's perception of dynamic target position may be compromised during exposure to low and moderate +Gz acceleration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA458529
Entities
People
- Lloyd D. Tripp Jr.
- Richard A. Mckinley
- Robert L. Esken
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory