Kairos Research, together with our partners Wright State University, Sinclair Community College, and the Dayton Entrepreneurs’ Center, recently kicked off a new project aimed at detecting and mitigating fatigue and other sub-optimal cognitive states (such as inattentiveness) in contexts ranging from long-haul air and space flight to unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations. The Kairos-led team will utilize state-of-the-art modeling techniques to estimate an operator’s cognitive state through integration and analysis of multiple physiological and behavioral data streams. Examples of relevant bio-behavioral signals include eye and head movements as well as cardio-respiratory measures. Additionally, the team will develop a software dashboard tool for real-time display of cognitive, physiological, and behavioral data streams to assist DoD researchers in conducting studies involving fatigue and fatigue-related interventions.
The project, titled Ocular and Physio-Temporal Indicators of Cognitive State (OPTICS), is funded by the State of Ohio via the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN). According to OFRN’s website, the goal of OFRN is “to create a collaborative research hub designed to expand Ohio’s cutting-edge research capability and create new economic opportunities for Ohio in the areas of defense, aerospace, energy, and health.” To achieve this goal, “OFRN catalyzes federal, academic, and commercial collaborations to support the future growth of Ohio’s workforce with a focus on the priority research initiatives of Ohio-based federal and state partners.” Consistent with these objectives, the OPTICS team will work closely with federal contacts at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) to identify key requirements and use-cases for the resulting research products.
