Biodynamic and Cognitive Impact of Long Duration Wear of the JSF Helmet Mounted Display During Normal Flight Operations

Unites States Navy, United States Air Force, and European Air Force have documented neck injury rates of 50% or higher ranging from minor neck strain to cervical vertebral fracture. Lighter helmets were developed and implemented in hopes of reducing injuries, but the modern trend has been to mount all the critical information and symbology on the helmet. The neck load limits under operational conditions are unknown, so the Infoscitex team is developing a methodology for establishing measurement techniques to determine the physical and cognitive effects of long duration wear of the helmets during flight missions, and how that may impact pilot performance. IST has assembled a distinguished team to address this proposal. We are proposing a novel approach to meeting the requirements called for in the solicitation. At the conclusion of Phase II, we will have demonstrated our measurement techniques in a ground-based dynamic flight simulator.