Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Detect Mental Overload in Flight Simulator

Causse, Mickaël; Matton, Nadine · 2019 · Crossref

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100225

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study addresses the critical need for valid, online measurement tools to detect pilot mental workload, particularly in high-stakes aviation environments where cognitive overload can lead to performance degradation and safety risks. Piloting demands significant executive function and cognitive control, which are localized in the prefrontal cortex. When these resources are exhausted, pilots may experience "cognitive tunneling," failing to notice critical warnings. The authors aimed to validate whether functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), a neuroimaging technique allowing for natural movement in ecological settings, could sensitively detect variations in mental workload during complex flight tasks. The researchers monitored eleven male airline student pilots using a 16-channel fNIRS device to record hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex. Participants performed two landing scenarios in a high-fidelity flight simulator: an "easy" landing with perfect visibility and no crosswind, and a "difficult" landing characterized by dense cloud layers and strong crosswinds. The order of scenarios was counterbalanced. Mental workload was assessed subjectively using a 1–7 scale immediately after each scenario. fNIRS data were processed using the modified Beer–Lambert Law to calculate changes in oxy-hemoglobin (O2Hb) concentration, focusing on deviations from a ten-second baseline rest period. Statistical analysis employed repeated measures ANOVA to compare subjective workload, flight performance metrics (glide slope deviation), and O2Hb concentrations across the two scenarios and 16 optode locations. The results confirmed that the difficult landing scenario induced significantly higher subjective mental workload and degraded flight performance compared to the easy landing. fNIRS measurements revealed a significant main effect of the scenario, with the difficult landing provoking higher O2Hb concentration changes. Specifically, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), monitored by optode #16, showed the highest concentration changes during both scenarios, with a significantly greater increase during the difficult landing. This interaction between scenario difficulty and optode location indicates that the right DLPFC is primarily engaged during landing tasks, with activation scaling with cognitive demand. These findings demonstrate that fNIRS is a sensitive tool for detecting mental overload in ecological, complex environments. The study validates the use of prefrontal hemodynamics as an objective marker of cognitive workload that correlates with subjective reports and performance metrics. The authors conclude that continuous, non-interfering fNIRS monitoring could enable real-time adaptive automation systems to adjust task allocation based on pilot workload, thereby enhancing aviation safety. Additionally, this technology offers potential applications in the evaluation and certification of new cockpit designs by providing objective assessments of the cognitive demands imposed on operators.

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• neuro workload indices
• workload measurement

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• Empirical Findings: physiological data