A Tactile Cockpit Instrument Supports the Control of Self-Motion During Spatial Disorientation

• Published in: Human factors 2006-06, Vol.48 (2), p.219-228
• Main Authors: van Erp, Jan B. F., Groen, Eric L., Bos, Jelte E., van Veen, Hendrik A. H. C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Advantages; Aircraft accidents & safety; Aviation; Biological and medical sciences; Confusion - prevention & control; Data Display; Design; Displays; Ergonomics. Human factors; Eye movements; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Netherlands; Occupational psychology; Pilots; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Space life sciences; Statistical analysis; Touch; United States
• ISSN: 0018-7208; 1547-8181
• DOI: 10.1518/001872006777724435

Objective: We investigated the effectiveness of a tactile torso display as a counter-measure to spatial disorientation (SD) and compared inside-out and outside-in codings. Background: SD is a serious threat to military as well as civilian pilots and aircraft. Considerable effort has been put into SD countermeasures such as training programs and advanced cockpit displays. Tactile displays have been considered a promising technology. Method: Twenty-four participants were assigned to the two coding groups (12 per group and matched for age and gender). We used a rotating chair to build up a state of SD by rotating participants around their yaw axis followed by a sudden stop. During the following recovery phase a random disturbance signal was added to the chair's orientation. Participants actively controlled their orientation and were instructed to maintain a stable orientation. Results: Statistical analyses revealed that recovery from SD was improved with support of the tactile instrument, but tracking performance was reduced. The effects were the same whether the instrument was available full time or during the recovery phase only. There were no differences between outside-in and inside-out coding. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates the potential of tactile cockpit instruments in controlling SD, even in the presence of strong but misleading self-motion information from the vestibular sense. Application: Actual or potential applications of this research include spatial disorientation countermeasures for pilots, divers, and astronauts.