Wearable Electronics to Integrate Multisensory Cueing for Aircrew Mishap Prevention

In both military and civilian aviation, the largest cause of fatalities is spatial disorientation (SD) This usually occurs when pilots lose situation awareness (SA), usually due to a loss of visual references or when the gravitoinertial forces associated with flight act on the vestibular and body senses to create erroneous perception. The Tactile Situation Awareness System (TSAS) is a countermeasure intended to prevent SD, and comprises a collection of tactile transducers to provide continuous, intuitive, non-visual tactile cueing orientation information to pilots. This project aims to develop and integrate arrays of vibrotactile sensory cueing devices into flexible wearable aircrew garments such as belts and undershirts, for implementation in TSAS and similar systems. The technical objectives of this Phase II effort focus on the development of a flexible, wearable fabric interface for tactile arrays that are scalable in size and complexity, and suitable for the TSAS application. We leverage advancements in printed conductive inks that are laminated onto flexible garments. Our Phase I effort demonstrated the potential our Flex-Fabric Tactile interface (F2Ti) to provide a scalable, low weight and reliable garment that can comfortably and correctly situate multiple tactors (tactile array) against the body of a user. The F2Ti technology offers the potential of lower cost, allowing a pathway to production, maintenance, and meet washability and military use requirements, thereby enabling the deployment of EAI’s enhanced Tactile Situational Awareness System (eTSAS) and many related wearable tactile applications. During Phase II, the F2Ti approach will be integrated into user identified specific clothing designs such as a belt, compression undershirt and body garment. We will test the usability, environmental specifications, EMI, and washability, and will refine and prototype working eTSAS systems based on our Phase I technology demonstration concepts. We will explore and implement options for battery-powered, umbilical-free wireless integration and transition the wearable electronic garment to the flight environment. We will also incorporate feedback from users and stakeholders in our design phase and conduct usability and subject matter expert evaluations of our completed products, and will demonstrate product durability to include at least 100 wash cycles. EAI proposes a multitask effort, together with a team of industrial designers, flex printed ink fabricators, pattern designers and specialist garment fabricators, and plan to have working prototypes at the conclusion of the effort.