CTA: development of a biometric eyewear that analyzes emotions and mental workload
The Aerospace Technology Center (CTA), affiliated with Cégep Édouard-Montpetit
is carrying out a study to explore the possibility of using a biometric goggle that analyzes emotions and mental load in airline pilot training. This would provide objective data on the student's state of mind and reactions, which, together with the instructor's observations, would help him or her to optimize training.
The biometric goggle is being developed by Montreal start-up RE-AK TECHNOLOGIES, and the research is being carried out with the support of the Air Richelieu flight school. The high-tech equipment was initially designed for the video game and cinema industries, which can use it to measure the level of engagement of video game enthusiasts or spectators. However, deploying such a system in the aviation sector requires compliance with very strict standards. It was with this in mind that the company turned to the CTA, which was able to obtain an NSERC grant to carry out the study.
"CTA's support can be crucial at the development stage, enabling small businesses to develop innovative products while limiting the costs and technological risks involved," emphasizes Francis Archambault, CTA's Managing Director.
A simulator study
"We're using our flight simulator for this research, which reproduces the cockpit of our Piper Chieftain on which we carry out our flight tests. In collaboration with Air Richelieu's instructor, we designed a test environment that simulates a flight between two real Quebec airports, during which various events occur," explains Thierry Klotz, head of the Aeronautical Systems Development and Integration sector at CTA.
Wearing the biometric goggle, an Air Richelieu apprentice pilot takes the controls of the simulator alongside his or her instructor. During the flight, the goggle picks up micromovements and various physical signals, while a camera films his or her face. "With the help of RE-AK TECHNOLOGIES, we designed a program which then displays the various data from the flight, the goggle and the camera on the same screen, in perfect synchronization. Questionnaires are also filled in by the student and the instructor to compare their impressions with the recorded information, enabling the emotional, cognitive and behavioral analysis to be refined", explains Thierry Klotz.
Safety and risk factors
"Safety is the top priority in aviation. It depends on many factors, including what are commonly referred to as "human factors", such as distraction, fatigue and mental workload. At the CTA, we are increasingly developing this field of study, and this research in partnership with RE-AK TECHNLOGIES and Air Richelieu is a fine example," says Francis Archambault, CTA General Manager.
The simulator used for this research had been donated to CTA several years ago by CMC Electronics. It has since been refurbished to prepare and evaluate the flight test campaigns of CTA's test aircraft, and reconfigured for this research by a team of CTA researchers and members of the École nationale d'aérotechnique faculty and student community.