Mental Workload Assessment in Military Pilots Using Flight Simulators and Physiological Sensors

Abstract

© 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.This study evaluated the mental workload of military pilots during day and night conditions using night vision goggles (NVG) in a Flight Training Device, in order to rectify or ratify the fatigue correction factor used for flights using NVG. The experiment used basic military operational tasks measuring physiological data, specifically data on electrocardiography activity and galvanic skin response. Subjective data were gathered using NASA TLX and Psychomotor Vigilance Test methods. After collection, the data were subjected to treatment to correct possible errors during data acquisition and later analyzed in the domains of time and frequency. The analysis did not show a great change in mental workload between the day and night periods, which could be explained by the small sample, the small period between flights and the learning effect between day and night flight.

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