Annual report 2000 on Research on Man-System-Interaction incl Physiology

MSI aspects are increasingly recognised as crucial for the proper functioning of modern command/control and weapon systems. The operator is the crucial element for system effectiveness. In the area of Information presentation the focus is on the pilots situation in high-performance aircraft. Recent centrifuge experiments focus on the pilots ability to correctly identify colours. The possibilities to study experimentally Operator Mental Workload in simulated missions will significantly increase are knowledge of single and multiple-operator behavior in handling mission requirements. In the area of Decision support sensorintegration and sensoradministration and use of modern Temporal Display techniques have been studied. The ability of ground forces to operate during night is of high priority. Test and evaluation of night-vision equipment and how to protect your night-vision capability are important areas of study. In Aviation Medicine the primary focus is on understanding the effects on the pilot of the high G- forces generated by flying high-performance aircraft and the development of methods and therapy to counteract these effects. Studies include experiments to discover the phenomenology and the development of methods to overcome G-induced armpain, gas ventilation / distribution in lungs during increased G-load and pressurization of the G-suit, the development of training schemes to counteract high loads on the cervical spine. In the area of Naval Medicine research is directed towards methods to overcome the medical complications resulting from individual submarine escape from large depth, below 180 msw. The aim is to increase the safety of the methods used. An important activity is analysing methods for cleaning the athmos phere in AIP- submarines and identification and classification of pollutants. In the area of Exercise and Thermal Physiology research has been focused on identifying and modelling the limits of human physical performance, the physical requirements of different tasks in the Armed Forces and the impact on human performance of different combinations of climate, clothing, body carried equipment and physical activity.