Zephyr Simulator: Enhancing Naval Aviator Training Resilience Through Advanced Psychological and Physiological Factors

Naval aviation training must evolve to address the increasing complexity of modern combat environments, where aviators operate in high-stress conditions and hybrid manned-unmanned airspace. Traditional training methods often fail to account for critical psychological and physiological factors such as cognitive flexibility, stress tolerance, and motion sickness resilience. The Navy faces a pressing challenge: up to 40% of trainees suffer from simulation sickness in virtual training environments, impeding qualification timelines and operational readiness. Additionally, existing training programs lack the capability to adapt to individual physiological and cognitive profiles, limiting their effectiveness. This project proposes an advanced training solution by integrating psychological and physiological performance metrics into Little Arms Studios’ Zephyr drone simulation platform. Leveraging data-driven insights from high-performance civilian domains like the Drone Racing League, this initiative will develop evidence-based interventions that enhance aviator readiness, resilience, and learning efficiency. Key objectives include identifying critical physiological markers—such as heart rate variability and eye-tracking data—and incorporating them into a predictive model that correlates lifestyle factors (e.g., sleep, nutrition) with aviator performance outcomes. Zephyr will be enhanced to include real-time physiological monitoring, adaptive stress-management strategies, and AI-driven feedback systems. The research will also focus on mitigating simulation sickness by tailoring visual, vestibular, and cognitive training methods to individual trainee needs. This will ensure that naval aviators develop the cognitive flexibility, decision-making skills, and physiological resilience necessary to thrive in high-demand operational environments. The base-year effort will validate these capabilities, setting the stage for a Phase II prototype that integrates these advancements into a scalable, Navy-ready solution. The project's commercialization strategy includes applications in civilian aerospace and defense markets, ensuring widespread impact beyond military aviation. Little Arms Studios will partner with Stony Brook University’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) as its STTR Research Institute (RI) teaming partner. Stony Brook CEWIT will support Little Arms Studios' feasibility study by providing immersive visualization tools, advanced computational resources, and multidisciplinary expertise through its RealityDeck immersive visualization facility, Strategic Machine Learning Acceleration and Ray Tracing (SMART) cluster, and SeaWulf resources.