Performance Work Statement.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Project: Maintaining Heading Direction in Dynamic Aerospace Environments

GENERAL INFORMATION

1.0 Scope of Work:

The Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) and the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab at Brandeis University are conducting a funded study that will investigate visual and auditory feedback mechanism impact on perception control when gravity-dependent otolith and somatosensory position signals are no longer adequate to allow heading direction to be identified. This study requires the use of a multi-axis rotation system device at Brandeis that can produce flight-like dissociation of vestibular and somatosensory graviceptive cues from dynamic cues about equilibrium. Funding was provided to NAMRU-D from the Defense Health Agency under the FY23 Interservice Restoral Program, of which $348,000 was budgeted for the team members at Brandeis.

The project discussed is titled: Maintaining Heading Direction in Dynamic Aerospace Environments. It is broken into three parts, each part to be executed in one year. The first period of performance will begin after contract award and when Brandeis receives their funds, and end one year later. Each additional part will be 2nd and 3rd year options that will be exercised if additional funds to support this effort are received.

The objectives are to gain understanding about and optimize auditory and visual feedback to enhance heading perception and control in the aircraft. Additionally, this research will inform future training applications by evaluating how performance levels can be enhanced by individualized feedback. The desired outcome is a knowledge product describing results of the study, which may take the form of technical report(s) including the following: 1) Recommendation for auditory and visual cueing for mitigation of spatial non-orientation in dynamic roll and yaw orientation tasks, 2) Provide protocols for optimal incremental multi-axis training, and 3) Provide algorithms for prediction of trainee potential.

2.0 Background:

Spatial disorientation remains a challenging problem for pilots in military aviation where the normal terrestrial association of gravitational and dynamic (inertial) orientation often breaks down. Recent work has made inroads into a new form of spatial disorientation, referred to as non-orientation, and into the unsolved problem of why multi-axis flight control is disproportionately harder than single axis.

Although headway has been made with providing ways to combat non-orientation and facilitate learning when subjects control one axis at a time, a systematic method for training multi-axis control remains elusive.

The first aim is to determine for yaw and roll unstable motions individually the optimal types of visual and auditory feedback that enhance heading perception and control when gravity-dependent otolith and somatosensory position signals are no longer adequate to allow heading direction to be identified. The second aim is to determine whether acquisition of dynamic multi-axis control is enhanced by gradual versus single step exposure to peak acceleration level or introducing the multiple axes serially versus simultaneously. A supplementary aim is to apply machine learning techniques to the dual-axis learning experiment results to predict from early trials eventual performance levels, and how the performance levels can be enhanced by individualized feedback, to pave the way for a transition plan for future training applications.

3.0 REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Technical Requirements/Tasks:

To successfully execute the project, the support team shall fulfill the following requirements within the period of performance described above:

REQUIREMENT: Shall:

o have research experience and expertise in testing the “non-orientation” subclass of spatial disorientation in pilot-relevant conditions.

o have access to and research experience and expertise with a multi-axis rotation system device capable of dissociating the dynamic direction of balance from its normal alignment with the direction of gravity and configurable to roll, pitch, and yaw the rider about any two axes simultaneously relative to the direction of gravity.

The team at the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab fulfills this requirement.

Tasks performed across the project stated above:

Year 1 Develop and generate experimental protocol to determine what types of visual and auditory feedback enhance yaw heading perception and control when gravity-dependent otolith and somatosensory position signals are no longer adequate to allow heading direction to be identified.

Obtain Institutional Review Board approval.

Manage participants from recruitment through data collection.

Collect necessary data including operation of the Multi-Axis Rotation System device.

Analyze data and interpret the results.

Provide quarterly progress updates and as requested.

Produce a Year 1 technical report.

Year 2 (if option is exercised) Develop and generate experimental protocol to determine what types of visual and auditory feedback enhance roll heading perception and control when gravity-dependent otolith and somatosensory position signals are no longer adequate to allow heading direction to be identified.

Obtain Institutional Review Board approval.

Manage participants from recruitment through data collection.

Collect necessary data including operation of the Multi-Axis Rotation System device.

Fully analyze data and interpret the results.

Provide quarterly progress updates and as requested.

Produce a Year 2 technical report.

Year 3 (if option is exercised) Develop and generate experimental protocol to determine whether acquisition of dynamic multi-axis control is enhanced by gradual versus single step exposure to peak acceleration level or introducing the multiple axes serially versus simultaneously. Develop machine learning techniques for comparing performance and rapidly predicting the course of individual training.

Obtain Institutional Review Board approval.

Manage participants from recruitment through data collection.

Collect necessary data including operation of the Multi-Axis Rotation System device.

Fully analyze data and interpret the results.

Provide quarterly progress updates and as requested.

Produce a comprehensive final technical report.

4.0 Government Furnished:

NAMRU-D will be responsible for the following tasks:

Collaborate with the team at Brandeis to provide technical guidance and aviation expertise as needed.

Assistance writing reports for government publication and manuscripts to journals and/or conference proceedings as needed.

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule:

Key Deliverables.

Item No.

Deliverable

Objective

Due

1 Proposed Project Plan

Defining the responsibilities, timeline, risks, and milestones of contract objectives.

No later than thirty (30) business days after contract award

2 Quarterly/Periodic Status Meetings

Discuss status, barriers to progress, and research planning

Quarterly and as needed. Meetings will be held virtually. Updates and discussions may occur over e-mail

3 Annual Final Report Document contributions, including any unique design and/or data analysis contributions

No later than thirty (30) business days after end of period of performance

6.0 Travel: Data collection and data analyses will occur at Brandeis. The team members at Brandeis and at NAMRL are each responsible for their own travel costs incurred. Communication via e-mail, phone, or video will ensure successful execution of the project when travel is not required.

7.0 Support Team Key Personnel:

Key personnel shall have research experience and expertise in the areas of vestibular science, and auditory and visual cueing for mitigation of spatial non-orientation in dynamic roll and yaw orientation tasks, evidenced by a history of publications involving the subject matter.

Positions key to successful performance of the contract include: professor/research faculty, associate research scientists, research associates, and research scientists.

8.0 Data Rights:

Each Collaborator shall have title to all de-identified Subject Data generated by that Collaborator. Each Collaborator agrees to provide all de-identified Subject Data to the other Collaborator and hereby grants Unlimited Rights in de-identified Subject Data that does not contain Proprietary Information.

The Government has unlimited rights to all Maintaining Heading Direction in Dynamic Aerospace Environments documentation and data.

This effort may require the contractor to access and use data and information proprietary to a government agency or government contractor which is of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this effort, would be detrimental to the interests of the government and/or others. Contractor and/or contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this effort, except to authorized Government personnel or upon written approval from the Government Principal Investigator and the NAMRU-D Public Affairs Officer or from the of the Contracting Officer (CO).The contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data that bears a restrictive legend, other than as required in the performance of this effort. Nothing herein shall preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no cost to the government between the contractor and the data owner, which provides for greater rights to the contractor.