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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Simulator study of the effect of visual-motion time delays on pilot tracking performance with an audio side task

The effect of time delay was determined in the visual and motion cues in a flight simulator on pilot performance in tracking a target aircraft that was oscillating sinusoidally in altitude only. An audio side task was used to assure the subject was fully occupied at all times. The results indicate that, within the test grid employed, about the same acceptable time delay (250 msec) was obtained for a single aircraft (fighter type) by each of two subjects for both fixed-base and motion-base conditions. Acceptable time delay is defined as the largest amount of delay that can be inserted simultaneously into the visual and motion cues before performance degradation occurs. A statistical analysis of the data was made to establish this value of time delay. Audio side task provided quantitative data that documented the subject's work level.

Riley, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

TARGET: Rapid Capture of Process Knowledge

TARGET (Task Analysis/Rule Generation Tool) represents a new breed of tool that blends graphical process flow modeling capabilities with the function of a top-down reporting facility. Since NASA personnel frequently perform tasks that are primarily procedural in nature, TARGET models mission or task procedures and generates hierarchical reports as part of the process capture and analysis effort. Historically, capturing knowledge has proven to be one of the greatest barriers to the development of intelligent systems. Current practice generally requires lengthy interactions between the expert whose knowledge is to be captured and the knowledge engineer whose responsibility is to acquire and represent the expert's knowledge in a useful form. Although much research has been devoted to the development of methodologies and computer software to aid in the capture and representation of some types of knowledge, procedural knowledge has received relatively little attention. In essence, TARGET is one of the first tools of its kind, commercial or institutional, that is designed to support this type of knowledge capture undertaking. This paper will describe the design and development of TARGET for the acquisition and representation of procedural knowledge. The strategies employed by TARGET to support use by knowledge engineers, subject matter experts, programmers and managers will be discussed. This discussion includes the method by which the tool employs its graphical user interface to generate a task hierarchy report. Next, the approach to generate production rules for incorporation in and development of a CLIPS based expert system will be elaborated. TARGET also permits experts to visually describe procedural tasks as a common medium for knowledge refinement by the expert community and knowledge engineer making knowledge consensus possible. The paper briefly touches on the verification and validation issues facing the CLIPS rule generation aspects of TARGET. A description of efforts to support TARGET's interoperability issues on PCs, Macintoshes and UNIX workstations concludes the paper.

Ortiz, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The effect of visual-motion time delays on pilot performance in a pursuit tracking task

A study has been made to determine the effect of visual-motion time delays on pilot performance of a simulated pursuit tracking task. Three interrelated major effects have been identified: task difficulty, motion cues, and time delays. As task difficulty, as determined by airplane handling qualities or target frequency, increases, the amount of acceptable time delay decreases. However, when relatively complete motion cues are included in the simulation, the pilot can maintain his performance for considerably longer time delays. In addition, the number of degrees of freedom of motion employed is a significant factor.

Miller, G. K., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A visual programming environment for the Navier-Stokes computer

The Navier-Stokes computer is a high-performance, reconfigurable, pipelined machine designed to solve large computational fluid dynamics problems. Due to the complexity of the architecture, development of effective, high-level language compilers for the system appears to be a very difficult task. Consequently, a visual programming methodology has been developed which allows users to program the system at an architectural level by constructing diagrams of the pipeline configuration. These schematic program representations can then be checked for validity and automatically translated into machine code. The visual environment is illustrated by using a prototype graphical editor to program an example problem.

Tomboulian, Sherryl↗
NASA NTRS1977

The effect of a visual/motion display mismatch in a single axis compensatory tracking task

The frequency response of visual systems is typically unity from 0 to 20 rad/sec, while that of motion systems typically falls off in the vicinity of 6 rad/sec. The question arises as to what effect, if any, such a difference in servomechanism performance has on the simulation. Is pilot performance reduced by the conflict between displays? Would a more realistic simulation occur if the visual servomechanisms were degraded to match the motion servomechanisms? Does the pilot need and use the higher frequency information present in the visual display? The purpose of the experiment is to take a step forward toward answering these questions. Work already in the literature which bears on these questions is outlined. A description is then given of an experiment used to check for the effects of a difference in the performance of the visual and motion servomechanisms (the experiment uses a single-axis, compensatory, roll-tracking task). The results of the experiment are then presented and analyzed.

Shirachi, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS1975

B-1 AFT Nacelle Flow Visualization Study

A 2-month program was conducted to perform engineering evaluation and design tasks to prepare for visualization and photography of the airflow along the aft portion of the B-1 nacelles and nozzles during flight test. Several methods of visualizing the flow were investigated and compared with respect to cost, impact of the device on the flow patterns, suitability for use in the flight environment, and operability throughout the flight. Data were based on a literature search and discussions with the test personnel. Tufts were selected as the flow visualization device in preference to several other devices studied. A tuft installation pattern has been prepared for the right-hand aft nacelle area of B-1 air vehicle No.2. Flight research programs to develop flow visualization devices other than tufts for use in future testing are recommended. A design study was conducted to select a suitable motion picture camera, to select the camera location, and to prepare engineering drawings sufficient to permit installation of the camera. Ten locations on the air vehicle were evaluated before the selection of the location in the horizontal stabilizer actuator fairing. The considerations included cost, camera angle, available volume, environmental control, flutter impact, and interference with antennas or other instrumentation.

Celniker, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cockpit data management

This study is a continuation of an FAA effort to alleviate the growing problems of assimilating and managing the flow of data and flight related information in the air transport flight deck. The nature and extent of known pilot interface problems arising from new NAS data management programs were determined by a comparative timeline analysis of crew tasking requirements. A baseline of crew tasking requirements was established for conventional and advanced flight decks operating in the current NAS environment and then compared to the requirements for operation in a future NAS environment emphasizing Mode-S data link and TCAS. Results showed that a CDU-based pilot interface for Mode-S data link substantially increased crew visual activity as compared to the baseline. It was concluded that alternative means of crew interface should be available during high visual workload phases of flight. Results for TCAS implementation showed substantial visual and motor tasking increases, and that there was little available time between crew tasks during a TCAS encounter. It was concluded that additional research should be undertaken to address issues of ATC coordination and the relative benefit of high workload TCAS features.

Groce, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Electroencephalographic monitoring of complex mental tasks

Outlined here is the development of neurophysiological procedures to monitor operators during the performance of cognitive tasks. Our approach included the use of electroencepalographic (EEG) and rheoencephalographic (REG) techniques to determine changes in cortical function associated with cognition in the operator's state. A two channel tetrapolar REG, a single channel forearm impedance plethysmograph, a Lead I electrocardiogram (ECG) and a 21 channel EEG were used to measure subject responses to various visual-motor cognitive tasks. Testing, analytical, and display procedures for EEG and REG monitoring were developed that extend the state of the art and provide a valuable tool for the study of cerebral circulatory and neural activity during cognition.

Guisado, Raul↗
NASA NTRS1967

The organization of skilled response.

Skilled response organization, discussing stimulus coherence, tracking task, spatial and temporal coherence, secondary task, sequence length and task coding

STIMULUS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Evaluation of a trajectory command concept for manual control of carrier approaches and landings

A novel trajectory control system concept was implemented to provide manual control of a conventional jet aircraft. This concept, called Total Aircraft Flight Control System (TAFCOS), utilizes an inverse model of the aerodynamic and propulsion characteristics and employs feedforward control to provide the required acceleration command. The concept requires on-board digital computations which can easily be handled by a modern airborne computer. The system was studied in a piloted simulation of the carrier approach and landing task with primarily visual flight and guidance cues. The principal modes of vertical flight-path control investigated were vertical velocity command and vertical acceleration command. The study included manual carrier approaches with and without moderate ship motion and associated air disturbances, and tests of the effects of discrete gusts. Manual control of flight path through this new concept was shown to be feasible as an addition to an automatic control system and to have potential as an improved mode of control over conventional control for the carrier approach task.

Mcneill, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Stimulus-response incompatibility activates cortex proximate to three eye fields

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate cortical activation during the performance of three oculomotor tasks that impose increasing levels of cognitive demand. (1) In a visually guided saccade (VGS) task, subjects made saccades to flashed targets. (2) In a compatible task, subjects made leftward and rightward saccades in response to foveal presentation of the uppercase words "LEFT" or "RIGHT." (3) In a mixed task, subjects made rightward saccades in response to the lowercase word "left" and leftward saccades in response to the lowercase word "right" on incompatible trials (60%). The remaining 40% of trials required compatible responses to uppercase words. The VGS and compatible tasks, when compared to fixation, activated the three cortical eye fields: the supplementary eye field (SEF), the frontal eye field (FEF), and the parietal eye field (PEF). The mixed task, when compared to the compatible task, activated three additional cortical regions proximate to the three eye fields: (1) rostral to the SEF in medial frontal cortex; (2) rostral to the FEF in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); (3) rostral and lateral to the PEF in posterior parietal cortex. These areas may contribute to the suppression of prepotent responses and in holding novel visuomotor associations in working memory. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computer system evolution requirements for autonomous checkout of exploration vehicles

This study, now in its third year, has had the overall objective and challenge of determining the needed hooks and scars in the initial Space Station Freedom (SSF) system to assure that on-orbit assembly and refurbishment of lunar and Mars spacecraft can be accomplished with the maximum use of automation. In this study automation is all encompassing and includes physical tasks such as parts mating, tool operation, and human visual inspection, as well as non-physical tasks such as monitoring and diagnosis, planning and scheduling, and autonomous visual inspection. Potential tasks for automation include both extravehicular activity (EVA) and intravehicular activity (IVA) events. A number of specific techniques and tools have been developed to determine the ideal tasks to be automated, and the resulting timelines, changes in labor requirements and resources required. The Mars/Phobos exploratory mission developed in FY89, and the Lunar Assembly/Refurbishment mission developed in FY90 and depicted in the 90 Day Study as Option 5, have been analyzed in detailed in recent years. The complete methodology and results are presented in FY89 and FY90 final reports.

Davis, Tom↗
NASA NTRS1997

Predictive Features of a Cockpit Traffic Display: A Workload Assessment

Eighteen pilots flew a series of traffic avoidance maneuvers in an experiment designed to assess the support offered and workload imposed by different levels of traffic display information in a free flight simulation. Three display prototypes were compared which differed in traffic information provided. A BASELINE (BL) display provided current and (2nd order) predicted information regarding ownship and current information of an intruder aircraft, represented on lateral and vertical displays in a coplanar suite. An INTRUDER PREDICTOR (IP) display, augmented the baseline display by providing lateral and vertical prediction of the intruder aircraft. A THREAT VECTOR (TV) display added to the IP display a vector that indicates the direction from ownship to the intruder at the predicted point of closest contact (POCC). The length of the vector corresponds to the radius of the protected zone, and the distance of the intersection of the vector with ownship predictor, corresponds to the time available till POCC or loss of separation. Pilots time shared the traffic avoidance task with a secondary task requiring them to monitor the top of the display for faint targets. This task simulated the visual demands of out-of-cockpit scanning, and hence was used to estimate the head-down time required by the different display formats. The results revealed that both display augmentations improved performance (safety) as assessed by predicted and actual loss of separation (i.e., penetration of the protected zone). Both enhancements also reduced workload, as assessed by the NASA TLX scale. The intruder predictor display produced these benefits with no substantial impact on the qualitative nature of the avoidance maneuvers that were selected. The threat vector produced the safety benefits by inducing a greater degree of (effective) lateral maneuvering, thus partially offsetting the benefits of reduced workload. The three displays did not differ in terms of their effect on performance of the monitoring task, used to infer head-down time, nor in the extent of vertical or airspeed maneuvering. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for 19 cognitive engineering design features.

Wickens, Christopher D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Solar System Visualizations

Solar System Visualization products enable scientists to compare models and measurements in new ways that enhance the scientific discovery process, enhance the information content and understanding of the science results for both science colleagues and the public, and create.visually appealing and intellectually stimulating visualization products. Missions supported include MER, MRO, and Cassini. Image products produced include pan and zoom animations of large mosaics to reveal the details of surface features and topography, animations into registered multi-resolution mosaics to provide context for microscopic images, 3D anaglyphs from left and right stereo pairs, and screen captures from video footage. Specific products include a three-part context animation of the Cassini Enceladus encounter highlighting images from 350 to 4 meter per pixel resolution; Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter screen captures illustrating various instruments during assembly and testing at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center; and an animation of Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's 'Rub al Khali' panorama where the rover was stuck in the deep fine sand for more than a month. This task creates new visualization products that enable new science results and enhance the public's understanding of the Solar System and NASA's missions of exploration.

Brown, Alison M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Differences in the hemodynamic response to event-related motor and visual paradigms as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy

Several current brain imaging techniques rest on the assumption of a tight coupling between neural activity and hemodynamic response. The nature of this neurovascular coupling, however, is not completely understood. There is some evidence for a decoupling of these processes at the onset of neural activity, which manifests itself as a momentary increase in the relative concentration of deoxyhemoglobin (HbR). The existence of this early component of the hemodynamic response function, however, is controversial, as it is inconsistently found. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) allows quantification of levels of oxyhemoglobin (HbO(2)) and HbR during task performance in humans. We acquired NIRS data during performance of simple motor and visual tasks, using rapid-presentation event-related paradigms. Our results demonstrate that rapid, event-related NIRS can provide robust estimates of the hemodynamic response without artifacts due to low-frequency signal components, unlike data from blocked designs. In both the motor and visual data the onset of the increase in HbO(2) occurs before HbR decreases, and there is a poststimulus undershoot. Our results also show that total blood volume (HbT) drops before HbO(2) and undershoots baseline, raising a new issue for neurovascular models. We did not find early deoxygenation in the motor data using physiologically plausible values for the differential pathlength factor, but did find one in the visual data. We suggest that this difference, which is consistent with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, may be attributable to different capillary transit times in these cortices.

NASA Program Biomedical Research and Countermeasur↗
DOE OSTI2025

I/O in Machine Learning Applications on HPC Systems: A 360-degree Survey

Growing interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has resulted in a surge in demand for faster methods of Machine Learning (ML) model training and inference. This demand for speed has prompted the use of high performance computing (HPC) systems that excel in managing distributed workloads. Because data is the main fuel for AI applications, the performance of the storage and I/O subsystem of HPC systems is critical. In the past, HPC applications accessed large portions of data written by simulations or experiments or ingested data for visualizations or analysis tasks. ML workloads perform small reads spread across a large number of random files. This shift of I/O access patterns poses several challenges to modern parallel storage systems. In this paper, we survey I/O in ML applications on HPC systems, and target literature within a 6-year time window from 2019 to 2024. We define the scope of the survey, provide an overview of the common phases of ML, review available profilers and benchmarks, examine the I/O patterns encountered during offline data preparation, training, and inference, and explore I/O optimizations utilized in modern ML frameworks and proposed in recent literature. Lastly, we seek to expose research gaps that could spawn further R&D.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1971

Development of techniques for measuring pilot workload

An objective method of assessing information workload based on physiological measurements was developed. Information workload, or reserve capacity, was measured using a visual discrimination secondary task and subjective rating of task difficulty. The primary task was two axis (pitch and roll) tracking, and the independent variables in this study were aircraft pitch dynamics and wind gust disturbances. The study was structured to provide: (1) a sensitive, nonloading measure of reserve capacity, and (2) an unencumbering reliable measurement of the psychophysiological state. From these, a measured workload index (MWI) and physiological workload index (PWI) were extracted. An important measure of the success of this study was the degree to which the MWI and PWI agreed across the 243 randomly-presented, four-minute trials (9 subjects X 9 tasks X 3 replications). The electrophysiological data collected included vectorcardiogaram, respiration, electromyogram, skin impedance, and electroencephalogram. Special computer programs were created for the analysis of each physiological variable. The digital data base then consisted of 82 physiological features for each of the 243 trials. A prediction of workload based on physiological observations was formulated as a simultaneous least-squares prediction problem. A best subset of 10 features was chosen to predict the three measures of reserve capacity. The cannonical correlation coefficient was .754 with a chi squared value of 91.3 which allows rejection of the null hypothesis with p of .995.

Spyker, D. A.↗