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Creating Spatial Disorientation in Flight Simulation

Award Information
Agency: Department of Transportation
Branch: N/A
Contract: DTRT57-13-C-10006
Agency Tracking Number: DTRT57-13-C-10006
Amount: $149,772.24
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: 122FA1
Solicitation Number: DTRT5712RSBIR2
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2013
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2012-11-13
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2013-05-13
Small Business Information
NJ
Ewing, NJ 08618-2302
United States
DUNS: 96857313
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Robert McKillip
 Senior Associate
 (609) 538-0444
 bob@continuum-dynamics.com
Business Contact
 Barbara Agans
Title: Director, Business Administration
Phone: (609) 538-0444
Email: barbara@continuum-dynamics.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Training in the symptoms of Spatial Disorientation (SD) has shown to be valuable in aiding pilots to recognize its onset and provide a means for mitigating its effects, but such demonstrations have traditionally been associated with specialized equipment and devices. Since the vast majority of pilots for the commercial aviation jet fleet are trained (or recertified) on 6-degree-of-freedom (DOF) hexapod moving base simulators, it is of interest to determine the potential capabilities of these platforms for replicating some of the SD training options available in more dedicated equipment. The proposed research described here couples an analytical model of the pilot in terms of his spatial determination process that reflects the limitations of his visual and vestibular system, with a post-processing algorithm that triggers indications of specific types of SD events. This work leverages prior work both at CDI and in the literature on fault detection filter design, pilot modeling, and nonlinear extended Kalman filtering of multisensory systems, and would provide an analytical metric as to the capabilities of a specific simulator to generate one of several types of SD events. Such information may be used in the assessment of training devices and the formulation of syllabi for SD training.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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