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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
DOE OSTI2025

Enhanced Lighting Signals for Safety and Efficiency - Experiments with Addressable LEDs

For enhanced roadway safety, clear and immediate visual cues are essential for preventing accidents between drivers and pedestrians. At intersections, however, the line of sight to other roadway users may be obstructed by vehicles and infrastructure. Additionally, adverse conditions, including low visibility, poor weather, or inadequate lighting can increase the potential for collisions. Distracted drivers and pedestrians can further exacerbate the risk of accidents, particularly when using a smartphone, rather than focusing on roadway surroundings. These issues demonstrate the need for infrastructure upgrades that enhance visibility and awareness at crosswalks. A potential solution is through enhanced lighting signals integrated into the roadway infrastructure. One such example is the use of addressable LEDs, individually controllable lights that can change color and brightness instantaneously through programmable microcontrollers. They can be installed and integrated into crosswalks to maintain visibility in conditions where pedestrians may be difficult to see, while also offering peripheral cues to pedestrians who may be distracted by their phones or other objects rather than the road. Such a system (as one example) that is integrated into a traffic intersection digital twin that tracks all roadway users accurately, has the potential to enhance visibility of vulnerable road users, and thus enhance safety. This paper examines the potential implementation and feasibility of this technology, as well as the safety benefits it could provide. Laboratory experiments with addressable LEDs reveal the capabilities and challenges of this technology for roadway infrastructure safety. These findings could pave the way for more integrated lighting in infrastructure for vehicles and pedestrians at intersections, merge and diverge locations, and other areas where complex interactions present safety hazards. Such lighting solutions, enabled by modern computation and communications, could enhance safety and efficiency in our transportation system and improve overall mobility.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1978

Evaluation of several secondary tasks in the determination of permissible time delays in simulator visual and motion cues

The effect of secondary tasks in determining permissible time delays in visual-motion simulation of a pursuit tracking task was examined. A single subject, a single set of aircraft handling qualities, and a single motion condition in tracking a target aircraft that oscillates sinusoidally in altitude were used. In addition to the basic simulator delays the results indicate that the permissible time delay is about 250 msec for either a tapping task, an adding task, or an audio task and is approximately 125 msec less than when no secondary task is involved. The magnitudes of the primary task performance measures, however, differ only for the tapping task. A power spectraldensity analysis basically confirms the result by comparing the root-mean-square performance measures. For all three secondary tasks, the total pilot workload was quite high.

Miller, G. K., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Effects of visual and motion simulation cueing systems on pilot performance during takeoffs with engine failures

Data are presented that show the effects of visual and motion during cueing on pilot performance during takeoffs with engine failures. Four groups of USAF pilots flew a simulated KC-135 using four different cueing systems. The most basic of these systems was of the instrument-only type. Visual scene simulation and/or motion simulation was added to produce the other systems. Learning curves, mean performance, and subjective data are examined. The results show that the addition of visual cueing results in significant improvement in pilot performance, but the combined use of visual and motion cueing results in far better performance.

Parris, B. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Pilot/vehicle model analysis of visual and motion cue requirements in flight simulation

The optimal control model for pilot/vehicle analysis is used to explore the effects of a CGI visual system and motion system dynamics on helicopter hover simulation fidelity. This is accomplished by expanding the perceptual aspects of the model to include motion sensing and by relating CGI parameters to information processing parameters of the model. Simulator fidelity is examined by comparing predicted performance and workload for flight with that predicted for various simulator configuration. The results of the analysis suggest that simulator deficiencies or a reasonable nature (by current standards) can result in substantial performance and/or workload infidelity. Both CGI and motion system effects are significant for this task. There is also a distinct interaction between the two sources of pilot cues. In particular, the presence of motion reduces the sensitivity to CGI limitations.

Lancraft, R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Training the visual accommodation system.

Polarity cue for visual accomodation response of trained subjects to target motion direction change, considering retinal image blur and feedback relation

Cornsweet, T. N.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Helicopter Flight Simulation Motion Platform Requirements

To determine motion fidelity requirements, a series of piloted simulations was performed. Several key results were found. First, lateral and vertical translational platform cues had significant effects on fidelity. Their presence improved performance and reduced pilot workload. Second, yaw and roll rotational platform cues were not as important as the translational platform cues. In particular, the yaw rotational motion platform cue did not appear at all useful in improving performance or reducing workload. Third, when the lateral translational platform cue was combined with visual yaw rotational cues, pilots believed the platform was rotating when it was not. Thus, simulator systems can be made more efficient by proper combination of platform and visual cues. Fourth, motion fidelity specifications were revised that now provide simulator users with a better prediction of motion fidelity based upon the frequency responses of their motion control laws. Fifth, vertical platform motion affected pilot estimates of steady-state altitude during altitude repositioning. Finally, the combined results led to a general method for configuring helicopter motion systems and for developing simulator tasks that more likely represent actual flight. The overall results can serve as a guide to future simulator designers and to today's operators.

Schroeder, Jeffery Allyn↗
NASA NTRS1997

The effect of visual context on manual localization of remembered targets

This paper examines the contribution of egocentric cues and visual context to manual localization of remembered targets. Subjects pointed in the dark to the remembered position of a target previously viewed without or within a structured visual scene. Without a remembered visual context, subjects pointed to within 2 degrees of the target. The presence of a visual context with cues of straight ahead enhanced pointing performance to the remembered location of central but not off-center targets. Thus, visual context provides strong visual cues of target position and the relationship of body position to target location. Without a visual context, egocentric cues provide sufficient input for accurate pointing to remembered targets.

NASA Center JSC↗
NASA NTRS2017

Design Considerations for Attitude State Awareness and Prevention of Entry into Unusual Attitudes

Loss of control - inflight (LOC-I) has historically represented the largest category of commercial aviation fatal accidents. A review of the worldwide transport airplane accidents (2001-2010) evinced that loss of attitude or energy state awareness was responsible for a large majority of the LOC-I events. A Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) study of 18 worldwide loss-of-control accidents and incidents determined that flight crew loss of attitude awareness or energy state awareness due to lack of external visual reference cues was a significant causal factor in 17 of the 18 reviewed flights. CAST recommended that "Virtual Day-Visual Meteorological Condition" (Virtual Day-VMC) displays be developed to provide the visual cues necessary to prevent loss-of-control resulting from flight crew spatial disorientation and loss of energy state awareness. Synthetic vision or equivalent systems (SVS) were identified for a design "safety enhancement" (SE-200). Part of this SE involves the conduct of research for developing minimum aviation system performance standards (MASPS) for these flight deck display technologies to aid flight crew attitude and energy state awareness similar to that of a virtual day-VMC-like environment. This paper will describe a novel experimental approach to evaluating a flight crew's ability to maintain attitude awareness and to prevent entry into unusual attitudes across several SVS optical flow design considerations. Flight crews were subjected to compound-event scenarios designed to elicit channelized attention and startle/surprise within the crew. These high-fidelity scenarios, designed from real-world events, enable evaluation of the efficacy of SVS at improving flight crew attitude awareness to reduce the occurrence of LOC-I incidents in commercial flight operations.

Ellis, Kyle K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Modeling human perception and estimation of kinematic responses during aircraft landing

The thrust of this research is to determine estimation accuracy of aircraft responses based on observed cues. By developing the geometric relationships between the outside visual scene and the kinematics during landing, visual and kinesthetic cues available to the pilot were modeled. Both fovial and peripheral vision was examined. The objective was to first determine estimation accuracy in a variety of flight conditions, and second to ascertain which parameters are most important and lead to the best achievable accuracy in estimating the actual vehicle response. It was found that altitude estimation was very sensitive to the FOV. For this model the motion cue of perceived vertical acceleration was shown to be less important than the visual cues. The inclusion of runway geometry in the visual scene increased estimation accuracy in most cases. Finally, it was shown that for this model if the pilot has an incorrect internal model of the system kinematics the choice of observations thought to be 'optimal' may in fact be suboptimal.

Schmidt, David K.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Use of the tilt cue in a simulated heading tracking task

The task was performed with subjects using visual-only cues and combined visual and roll-axis motion cues. Half of the experimental trials were conducted with the simulator rotating about the horizontal axis; to suppress the tilt cue, the remaining trials were conducted with the simulator cab tilted 90 deg so that roll-axis motions were about earth vertical. The presence of the tilt cue allowed a substantial and statistically significant reduction in performance scores. When the tilt cue was suppressed, the availability of motion cues did not result in significant performance improvement. These effects were accounted for by the optimal-control pilot/vehicle model, wherein the presence or absence of various motion cues was represented by appropriate definition of the perceptual quantities assumed to be used by the human operator.

Levison, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Relationship between selected orientation rest frame, circular vection and space motion sickness

Space motion sickness (SMS) and spatial orientation and motion perception disturbances occur in 70-80% of astronauts. People select "rest frames" to create the subjective sense of spatial orientation. In microgravity, the astronaut's rest frame may be based on visual scene polarity cues and on the internal head and body z axis (vertical body axis). The data reported here address the following question: Can an astronaut's orientation rest frame be related and described by other variables including circular vection response latencies and space motion sickness? The astronaut's microgravity spatial orientation rest frames were determined from inflight and postflight verbal reports. Circular vection responses were elicited by rotating a virtual room continuously at 35 degrees/s in pitch, roll and yaw with respect to the astronaut. Latency to the onset of vection was recorded from the time the crew member opened their eyes to the onset of vection. The astronauts who used visual cues exhibited significantly shorter vection latencies than those who used internal z axis cues. A negative binomial regression model was used to represent the observed total SMS symptom scores for each subject for each flight day. Orientation reference type had a significant effect, resulting in an estimated three-fold increase in the expected motion sickness score on flight day 1 for astronauts who used visual cues. The results demonstrate meaningful classification of astronauts' rest frames and their relationships to sensitivity to circular vection and SMS. Thus, it may be possible to use vection latencies to predict SMS severity and duration.

short duration↗
NASA NTRS2010

Visual Features Involving Motion Seen from Airport Control Towers

Visual motion cues are used by tower controllers to support both visual and anticipated separation. Some of these cues are tabulated as part of the overall set of visual features used in towers to separate aircraft. An initial analyses of one motion cue, landing deceleration, is provided as a basis for evaluating how controllers detect and use it for spacing aircraft on or near the surface. Understanding cues like it will help determine if they can be safely used in a remote/virtual tower in which their presentation may be visually degraded.

Ellis, Stephen R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

First-Order-hold interpolation digital-to-analog converter with application to aircraft simulation

Those who design piloted aircraft simulations must contend with the finite size and speed of the available digital computer and the requirement for simulation reality. With a fixed computational plant, the more complex the model, the more computing cycle time is required. While increasing the cycle time may not degrade the fidelity of the simulated aircraft dynamics, the larger steps in the pilot cue feedback variables (such as the visual scene cues), may be disconcerting to the pilot. The first-order-hold interpolation (FOHI) digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is presented as a device which offers smooth output, regardless of cycle time. The Laplace transforms of these three conversion types are developed and their frequency response characteristics and output smoothness are compared. The FOHI DAC exhibits a pure one-cycle delay. Whenever the FOHI DAC input comes from a second-order (or higher) system, a simple computer software technique can be used to compensate for the DAC phase lag. When so compensated, the FOHI DAC has (1) an output signal that is very smooth, (2) a flat frequency response in frequency ranges of interest, and (3) no phase error. When the input comes from a first-order system, software compensation may cause the FOHI DAC to perform as an FOHE DAC, which, although its output is not as smooth as that of the FOHI DAC, has a smoother output than that of the ZOH DAC.

Cleveland, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

M.I.T./Canadian Vestibular Experiments on the Spacelab-1 Mission. Part 1: Sensory Adaptation to Weightlessness and Readaptation to One-G: An Overview

Experiments on human spatial orientation were conducted on four crewmembers of Space Shuttle Spacelab Mission 1. The conceptual background of the project, the relationship among the experiments, and their relevance to a 'sensory reinterpretation hypothesis' are presented. Detailed experiment procedures and results are presented in the accompanying papers in this series. The overall findings are discussed as they pertain to the following aspects of hypothesized sensory reinterpretation in weightlessness: (1) utricular otolith afferent signals are reinterpreted as indicating head translation rather than tilt, (2) sensitivity of reflex responses to footward acceleration is reduced, and (3) increased weighting is given to visual and tactile cues in orientation perception and posture control. Results suggest increased weighting of visual cues and reduced weighting of graviceptor signals in weightlessness.

Young, Laurence R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Age-related changes in human posture control: Sensory organization tests

Postural control was measured in 214 human subjects ranging in age from 7 to 81 years. Sensory organization tests measured the magnitude of anterior-posterior body sway during six 21 s trials in which visual and somatosensory orientation cues were altered (by rotating the visual surround and support surface in proportion to the subject's sway) or vision eliminated (eyes closed) in various combinations. No age-related increase in postural sway was found for subjects standing on a fixed support surface with eyes open or closed. However, age-related increases in sway were found for conditions involving altered visual or somatosensory cues. Subjects older than about 55 years showed the largest sway increases. Subjects younger than about 15 years were also sensitive to alteration of sensory cues. On average, the older subjects were more affected by altered visual cues whereas younger subjects had more difficulty with altered somatosensory cues.

Peterka, R. J.↗