Development of Human-Out-of-the-Loop Participant Recruitment, Data Collection, Data Handling, and Participant Management System
Bracken, B.1, Potoczny-Jones, I.2, Wolcott, J.2, Raffaele, E.2, Woodward, L.2, Gogoel, C.3, Kiourtis, N.3, Schulte, B.3, Arean, P.4, and Farry, M.1 Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (November 2020) Most human subjects research requires data collection by contacting local participants who visit a research site. This is costly, time-consuming, and decreases subject […]
Continuous Cognitive Workload Assessment and Combined Metrics of Performance in the Multi-Attribute Task Battery
Bracken, B.1, Endsley, M.2, Tobyne, S.1, Leather, C.1, and Farry, M.1 Presented at the 11th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Conference (AHFE), San Diego, CA (July 2020) Neurophysiological correlates of cognitive workload (e.g., changes in brain blood oxygenation) are detectable with minimally-invasive wearable sensors including functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). When cognitive […]
Evaluation of a New Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Sensor, the fNIRS Explorer™, and Software to Assess Cognitive Workload During Ecologically Valid Tasks
Bracken, B.1, Houssan, C.2, Broach, J.2, Milsten, A.2, Leather, C.1, Tobyne, S.1, Winder, A.1, and Farry, M.1 Presented at BIOSTEC 2020, 13th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, Valletta, Malta (February 2020) Medical personnel and first responders are often deployed to dangerous environments where their success at saving lives depends on their ability to […]
Enhancing Situational Awareness through Perceptual and Cognitive Acclimation to Augmented 360-Degree Visual Fields
Kingsley, C., Wollocko, A., and Jenkins, M. Special Augment Event at Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), Orlando, FL (to be presented in December 2019) Charles River Analytics is developing a system to enhance situational awareness (SA) by extending humans’ natural field of view (FOV), roughly 120°, to a real-world, 360° FOV. Our system provides a […]
How to Develop New Biosignals Based Products: PLUX Approach to Design New Products Based on Human Biosignals
Plux Wireless Signals and Bracken, B. Access to human physiological, neurophysiological, and behavioral signals (biosignals) can revolutionize health solutions, scientific research across multiple fields, and everyday interaction between the digital and human worlds (e.g., through the internet of things, “smart” technologies, smartphone apps). One of the earliest capabilities to extract biosignals from humans were ECG recordings. Since then technology […]
Application of the DeepSense Deep Learning Framework to Determination of Activity Context from Smartphone Data
Bracken, B., Manjunath, S., German, S., Monnier, C., and Farry, M. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Volume 63, Issue 1, Pages 792-796 (November 2019) Current methods of assessing health are infrequent, costly, and require advanced medical equipment. 92% of US adults carry mobile phones, and 77% carry smartphones with advanced sensors (Smith, 2017). […]
Validation of a Physiological Approach to Measure Cognitive Workload: CAPT PICARD
Bracken, B.1, Leather, C.1, E.V. Cross II.2, Stephenson, J.3, Greene, M.4, Lancaster, J.5, Munson, B.6, Holden, K.2 Human Mental Workload: Models and Applications. H-WORKLOAD 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1107. Springer, Cham (October 2019) This study validated a physiological workload tool during an investigation of information integration impacts on performance of a […]
Exploring Extended Reality as a Simulation Training Tool Through Naturalistic Interactions and Enhanced Immersion
Duggan, D.1, Kingsley, C.1, Mazzeo, M.2, and Jenkins, M.1 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Applications and Case Studies, Orlando, FL (June 2019) Augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR) technologies – collectively extended reality (XR) – have been discussed in the context of training applications since their […]
Modeling Framework Used to Analyze and Describe Junctional Tourniquet Skills
Bauchwitz, B.1, Curley, T.1, Kwan, C.2, Niehaus, J.1, Pugh., C.2, and Weyhrauch, P.1 Military Medicine, Volume 184, Issue Supplement 1, Pages 347–360 (March-April 2019) Medical educators have acknowledged the importance of simulation training in developing procedural skills. While simulation training in other disciplines has benefitted from evaluations of users’ skill acquisition, the majority of medical training […]
Validation of the fNIRS Pioneer™, a Portable, Durable, Rugged functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Device
Bracken, B., Festa, E., Sun, H., Leather, C., and Strangman, G. International Special Session on Real-world Assessment of Individuals During Everyday Routines (RAIDERS) at BIOSTEC 2019, Prague, Czech Republic (February 2019) Assessing cognitive workload using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in labs is well established. However, fNIRS sensors useful during normal activities in real-world environments are […]
Enabling Military Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality Simulations with a Flexible Peripheral Framework and Automated Assessments
Jenkins, M., Irvin, S., Wong-Faull, D., and Bird, L. Presented at the International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE), Orlando, FL (July 2018). The military virtual training and simulation market is forecast to be a $6B+ market through 2020, driven by the increasing immersiveness of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed […]
Modeling Perceptual Judgement in Believable Agents: A Signal Detection Approach
Lynn, S.1, Curley, T.2, and Weyhrauch, P.1 Presented at the joint annual meetings of the Society for Mathematical Psychology and the International Conference on Cognitive Modelling, Madison, WI (July 2018). A Warfighter in a combat environment is expected to continuously search his or her visual field to maintain situational awareness. Misidentification of relevant stimuli, such […]
Development and Refinement of a Portable, Durable, Rugged Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Device
Bracken, B.1, Silva, F.2, Pacheco, M.2, deB Frederick, B.3, Palmon, N.1, and Leather, C.1 To be presented at the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), Kissimmee, FL (August 2018) Background: Army medic training often includes high-fidelity simulations. Trainers currently infer competence by observation alone—a challenging task. Assessing cognitive workload using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) when individuals are seated […]
Development and Validation of a Portable, Durable, Rugged Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Device
Bracken, B.1, Festa, E.2, Sun, H.2, Leather, C.1, Strangman, G.3, Palmon, N.1, Silva, F.4, Pacheco, M.4, and deB Frederick, B.5 Presented at the International Neuroergonomics Conference, Philadelphia, PA (June 2018) Background Assessing cognitive workload using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in labs is well established. Increased workload corresponds with increase in prefrontal blood oxygenation (HbO2) correlated with […]
Development and Refinement of a Portable, Durable, Rugged Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Device
Bracken, B.1, Festa, E.2, Sun, H.2, Leather, C.1, Strangman, G.3, Palmon, N.1, Pacheco, M.4, Silva, F.4, and deB Frederick, B.5 Presented at the 2018 Brain Health and Performance Summit, Columbus, OH (April 2018) Army medic training often includes high-fidelity simulations. Trainers currently infer competence by observation alone—a challenging task. Assessing cognitive workload using functional near-infrared […]
Modeling and Comparing Nurse and Physician Trauma Assessment Skills
Bauchwitz, B., Niehaus, J., and Weyhrauch, P. Military Medicine, Volume 183, Issue suppl_1, 1 March 2018, Pages 47–54 (April 2018). Medical providers must master a large number of complicated tasks to deliver quality care and minimize unwanted clinical outcomes. In order to optimally train these tasks, medical training systems would benefit from models of skill […]
Comparison of a Custom Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy Sensor, a Peripheral SpO2 Sensor, and a Standard Laboratory Sensor (Biopac) for RR-Interval Assessment
Bracken, B.1, Amazeen, G.2, Likens, A.2, Demir, M.2, and Gibbons, C.2 Presented at the 11th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2018), Funchal, Portugal (January 2018) Across many careers, individuals face alternating periods of high and low cognitive workload which can impair cognitive function and undermine job performance. We have designed and […]
A System to Monitor, Extract, and Decode Indicators of Cognitive Workload (MEDIC) in Realistic, High-motion Environments
Bracken, B.1, Elkin-Frankston, S.1, Palmon, N.1, deB Frederick, B.2 Presented at the Military Health System Research Symposium, Kissimmee, FL (August 2017). Background Army medic training often includes high-fidelity simulations. Trainers currently infer competence by observation alone—a challenging task. We designed a system to continuously monitor physiological proxies for cognitive workload to augment performance observations. Assessing cognitive […]
A System to Monitor Cognitive Workload in Naturalistic, High-motion Environments
Bracken, B.1, Elkin-Frankston, S.1, Palmon, N1, Farry, M.1, and deB Frederick, B.2 Presented at the 1st International Symposium on Human Mental Workload: Models and Applications (H-WORKLOAD 2017), Dublin, Ireland (June 2017) Across many careers, individuals face alternating periods of high and low attention and cognitive workload can impair cognitive function and undermine job performance. We have […]
A Toolkit to Assist Researchers to More Efficiently Conduct Experiments Assessing Human State
Bracken, B., Palmon, N., Koelle, D., and Farry, M. Presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society International Annual Meeting, Austin, TX (October 2017) For teams to perform effectively, individuals must focus on their own tasks, while simultaneously maintaining awareness of other team members. Researchers studying and attempting to optimize performance of teams as well as […]
Assessment and Diagnosis of Vestibular Indicators of Soldier Operational Readiness (ADVISOR)
Wollocko, A., Jenkins, M., Farry, M., and Irvin, S. Presented at the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care: Shaping the Future, San Diego, CA (April 2016) Soldiers who suffer a potentially concussive injury or barotrauma need accurate, timely, in-theater assessment of symptoms. Often this initial assessment and diagnosis must be conducted by first-level […]
Virtual Reality System for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Vestibular Indicators of Soldier Operational Readiness (ADVISOR)
Wollocko, A., Jenkins, M., Irvin, S., and Farry, M. Presented at NextMed / Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR), Los Angeles, CA (April 2016) Soldiers who suffer a potentially concussive injury or barotrauma need accurate, timely, in-theater assessment of symptoms. Often this initial assessment and diagnosis must be conducted by first-level responders who attempt to assess vestibular symptoms […]
A Cross-Domain Approach to Designing an Unobtrusive System to Assess Human State and Predict Upcoming Performance Deficits
Bracken, B., Palmon, N., Kellogg, L., Elkin-Frankston, S., and Farry, M. Presented at the 2016 Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (September 2016) Many work environments are fraught with highly variable demands on cognitive workload, fluctuating between periods of high operational demand to the point of cognitive overload, to long periods of low […]
Second Validation of a System to Monitor, Extract, and Decode Indicators of Cognitive Workload (MEDIC)
Bracken, B.1, Negri, A.1, Amazeen, P.3, Likens, A.3, Fedele, M.4, Demir, M.4, Palmon, N.1, deB Frederick, B.2, and Cooke, N.4 Presented at the Medical Health Systems Research Symposium (MHSRS), Kissimmee, FL (August 2016) Background: Military medical personnel are deployed to operational environments where their success saving lives depends on their ability to act quickly and effectively, both […]
Monitoring, Extracting, and Decoding Indicators of Cognitive Workload (MEDIC)
Bracken, B.1, Palmon, N.1, Frederick, B.2, Cooke, N.3, Romero, V.1, Koelle, D.1, and Pfautz, J.1 Presented at the 2015 Military Health System Research symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (August 2015). Background: US military medical personnel may be deployed to a variety of operational environments where their success saving lives depends on their ability to act quickly and effectively, […]
Monitoring, Extracting, and Decoding Indicators of Cognitive Workload (MEDIC)
Bracken, B.1, Palmon, N.1, Frederick, B.2, Cooke, N.3, Romero, V.1, Koelle, D.1, and Pfautz, J.1 Poster to be presented at Neuroscience 2015, Chicago, IL (October 2015) Background: The success of emergency medical personnel in saving lives depends on their acting quickly and effectively, as individuals and as teams. Training must go beyond individual skills to include team […]
An Unobtrusive System to Measure, Assess, and Predict Cognitive Workload
Bracken, B., Farry, M., Jenkins, M., and Monnier, C. Oral presentation at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, Maui, Hawaii (September 2015) Complex, computational capabilities are required for tracking, characterizing, and cataloging objects in space. However, the improved real-time highly-detailed space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities that the Air Force is trying to […]
Assessment and Diagnosis of Vestibular Indicators of Soldier Operational Readiness (ADVISOR)
Jenkins, M., Wollocko, A., Irvin, S., and Farry, M. Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), Ft. Lauderdale, FL (August 2015) Soldiers suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or barotrauma need accurate, timely, in-theater assessment of symptoms to inform appropriate return to duty (RTD) decisions. Often, this initial assessment and diagnosis must be conducted by first-level […]
Assessment and Diagnosis of Vestibular Indicators of Soldier Operational Readiness (ADVISOR)
Jenkins, M., Wollocko, A., and Irvin, S. Defense Energy Innovation Summit, Austin, TX (December 2015) Soldiers suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or barotrauma need accurate, timely, in-theater assessment of symptoms to inform appropriate return to duty (RTD) decisions. Often, this initial assessment and diagnosis must be conducted by first-level responders (e.g., Medics, Corpsmen) who attempt […]
Interpreting Cognitive and Physiological States from Biometric Sensors to Predict Performance Degradation
Bracken, B.1, Guarino, S.1, Dorin, W.1, Romero, V.1, Pfautz, J.1, DiZio, P.2, and Lackner, J.2 Presented at the 44th Annual Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington, DC(November 2014) Biometric techniques for sensing peripheral nervous system indicators (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, and galvanic skin response), when analyzed and interpreted correctly, provide an opportunity to objectively assess and forecast […]
Interpreting Cognitive and Physiological States from Biometric Sensors to Predict Performance Degradation
Bracken, B.1, Palmon, N.1, Romero, V.1, Pfautz, J.1, and Cooke, N.2 Teams of individuals working together toward a common goal must be skilled at multi-tasking to perform their own work while maintaining shared attention across the team. Experimenters who study team performance can use cutting edge methods to assess physiological, neurophysiological, and behavioral underpinnings of […]
