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At least 91 records · Page 5

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NASA NTRS1990

In-simulator assessment of trade-offs arising from mixture of color cuing and monocular, binoptic, and stereopsis cuing information

The use of monochrome Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) systems is becoming prevalent in today's complex flight mission environment. These HMD systems can provide stereopsis cueing as an almost natural byproduct for binocular helmet systems of an additional image generation source is provided. The addition of color cueing capability is much more difficult. The application of stereopsis cueing to advanced HMD and heads-down flight display concepts has demonstrated gains in pilot situation awareness and improved task performance. To provide stereopsis, binocular HMD systems must trade some of the total field-of-view (FOV) available from their two monocular fields to obtain a partial overlap region. The visual field then provides a mixture of cues, with monocular regions on both peripheries, and, in the overlapped center, a binoptic (the same image to both eyes) or, if lateral disparity is introduced to produce two images, a stereo region. The goal of this research was to assess the trade-offs arising from the mixture of color cueing and monocular, biocular, and stereopsis cueing information in peripheral monitoring displays as encountered in HMD systems. The accompanying effect of stereopsis cueing in the foveal display of tracking information was also assessed.

Williams, Steven P.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Emulating the visual receptive-field properties of MST neurons with a template model of heading estimation

We have proposed previously a computational neural-network model by which the complex patterns of retinal image motion generated during locomotion (optic flow) can be processed by specialized detectors acting as templates for specific instances of self-motion. The detectors in this template model respond to global optic flow by sampling image motion over a large portion of the visual field through networks of local motion sensors with properties similar to those of neurons found in the middle temporal (MT) area of primate extrastriate visual cortex. These detectors, arranged within cortical-like maps, were designed to extract self-translation (heading) and self-rotation, as well as the scene layout (relative distances) ahead of a moving observer. We then postulated that heading from optic flow is directly encoded by individual neurons acting as heading detectors within the medial superior temporal (MST) area. Others have questioned whether individual MST neurons can perform this function because some of their receptive-field properties seem inconsistent with this role. To resolve this issue, we systematically compared MST responses with those of detectors from two different configurations of the model under matched stimulus conditions. We found that the characteristic physiological properties of MST neurons can be explained by the template model. We conclude that MST neurons are well suited to support self-motion estimation via a direct encoding of heading and that the template model provides an explicit set of testable hypotheses that can guide future exploration of MST and adjacent areas within the superior temporal sulcus.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

NASA NTRS1986

M.I.T./Canadian vestibular experiments on the Spacelab-1 mission: 2. Visual vestibular tilt interaction in weightlessness

Adaptation to weightlessness includes the substitution of other sensory signals for the no longer appropriate graviceptor information concerning static spatial orientation. Visual-vestibular interaction producing roll circularvection was studied in weightlessness to assess the influence of otolith cues on spatial orientation. Preliminary results from four subjects tested on Spacelab-1 indicate that visual orientation effects were stronger in weightlessness than pre-flight. The rod and frame test of visual field dependence showed a weak post-flight increase in visual influence. Localized tactile cues applied to the feet in space reduced subjective vection strength.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS1973

Direct comparison between satellite electric field measurements and the visual aurora

Electric field data from two passes of the Injun 5 satellite, one corresponding to magnetically quiet conditions and one corresponding to substorm conditions, are compared with simultaneous all-sky-camera data from College, Alaska. In each case, a significant deviation of the electric field from the expected V x B field (where V is the satellite velocity) was evident and a distinct electric field reversal could be identified. In the region of substantial electric field equatorward of the electric field reversal a diffuse auroral arc was observed during the magnetically quiet pass and auroral patches were observed during the substorm pass. The motion of the auroral patches was consistent with the general direction and magnitude of the E x B drift computed from the satellite electric field measurements. In the substorm case the electric field reversal occurred very near a discrete auroral arc at the poleward side of the diffuse arcs and patches. Comparison of the quiet time and substorm cases suggests that the convection electric field penetrates deeper into the magnetosphere during a substorm.

Swift, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Direct comparison between satellite electric field measurements and the visual aurora

Electric field data from two passes of the Injun 5 satellite, one corresponding to magnetically quiet conditions and one corresponding to substorm conditions, are compared with simultaneous all-sky camera data from College, Alaska. In each case, a significant deviation of the electric field from the expected V x B field (where V is the satellite velocity) was evident, and a distinct electric field reversal could be identified. In the region of substantial electric field equatorward of the electric field reversal, a diffuse auroral arc was observed during the magnetically quiet pass, and auroral patches were observed during the substorm pass. In the substorm case, the electric field reversal occurred very near a discrete auroral arc at the poleward side of the diffuse arcs and patches. Comparison of the quiet time and substorm cases suggests that the convection electric field penetrates deeper into the magnetosphere during a substorm.

Swift, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

M.I.T./Canadian vestibular experiments on the Spacelab-1 mission. II - Visual vestibular tilt interaction in weightlessness

Young, L. R.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Multiresolution and Explicit Methods for Vector Field Analysis and Visualization

This is a request for a second renewal (3d year of funding) of a research project on the topic of multiresolution and explicit methods for vector field analysis and visualization. In this report, we describe the progress made on this research project during the second year and give a statement of the planned research for the third year. There are two aspects to this research project. The first is concerned with the development of techniques for computing tangent curves for use in visualizing flow fields. The second aspect of the research project is concerned with the development of multiresolution methods for curvilinear grids and their use as tools for visualization, analysis and archiving of flow data. We report on our work on the development of numerical methods for tangent curve computation first.

Nielson, Gregory M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Use of nontraditional flight displays for the reduction of central visual overload in the cockpit

The use of nontraditional flight displays to reduce visual overload in the cockpit was investigated in a dual-task paradigm. Three flight displays (central, peripheral, and ecological) were used between subjects for the primary tasks, and the type of secondary task (object identification or motion judgment) and the presentation of the location of the task in the visual field (central or peripheral) were manipulated with groups. The two visual-spatial tasks were time-shared to study the possibility of a compatibility mapping between task type and task location. The ecological display was found to allow for the most efficient time-sharing.

Weinstein, Lisa F.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Visual Impairment and Intracranial Hypertension: An Emerging Spaceflight Risk

During recent long duration missions to the International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers have reported changes in visual acuity or visual field defects. Exams in the postflight period revealed changes to the visual system and elevated intracranial pressures. As a result, NASA Space Medicine has added a number of tests to be performed in the preflight, inflight and postflight periods for ISS and shuttle missions with the goal of determining the processes at work and any potential mitigation strategies. This discussion will acquaint you with the changes that NASA has made to its medical requirements in order to address the microgravity induced intracranial hypertension and associated visual changes. Key personnel have been assembled to provide you information on this topic. Educational Objectives: Provide an overview of the current Medical Operations requirements and the mitigation steps taken to operationally address the issue.

Taddeo, Terrance A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The impact of visual noise on spatial orientation

The effect of noise in the visual environment on spatial orientation was investigated experimentally using postural stability as an objective measure. Noise in the displays was produced by randomly shifting the phase lag of the three-dimensional motion function for each individual point within the display. Greater postural sway was induced by displays containing no noise in the global optical flow pattern than displays containing noise, suggesting that spatial orientation is strongly dependent on global optic flow information in the visual field. To avoid pilot disorientation in some flight maneuvers, it is recommended that visual aids specifying global optic flow information be included in aircraft for flight environments with deficient global optic flow information.

Dyre, Brian P.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Spatial orientation - Visual-vestibular-somatic interaction

The compensation signals from somatosensory and vestibular receptors, which act to compensate for disturbances produced by the displacement of our eyes relative to other parts of our bodies and for visual disturbances such as tilted frames or moving visual fields, are investigated. Disturbances were evoked by tilting the head and by rotating a large visual display, while compensation signals related to gravity were altered by placing the subjects horizontally on a board or seating them vertically. The first experiment studied the effects of visual disturbance on the ability of supine observers to set a line to the longitudinal body axis while the head was tilted toward one shoulder or while the head was straight. Results showed that the effects of the visual disturbance were greater when the head was tilted than when it was straight, which indicates that the effects of visual disturbance were greater for a task that required compensation. The second experiment compared the performance of supine and erect observers. No differences were found between the performance of observers on a task requiring the use of compensation signals under these two conditions, which suggests that the enrichment of compensatory signals did not reduce the effects of visual disturbancs.

Parker, D. E.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing An Earth-Fixed Visual Reference to Aid Stability, Readaptation and Egress After a Water Landing

INTRODUCTION Water landings present the worst possible sensory conditions for crews trying to orient and stabilize themselves immediately after long-duration spaceflight. Of the three sensory feedback systems involved in maintaining stability (i.e., proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual), none will provide reliable orientation information under the current water landing scenarios. The proprioceptive and vestibular systems are affected during spaceflight by disuse and adaptation to microgravity. Vision may not suffer the same degradation, but the visual environment within the enclosed space of a capsule, or interior room of a recovery ship, is disorienting when subject to wave-induced motion. The result is an increased risk of fall-related injury. In a prior study, 70% (21 of 30) of nonimpaired subjects reported that the presence of an Earth-fixed horizontal line helped them stabilize when their visually enclosed environment was exposed to wave motion. In addition to aiding stability, sensory re-adaptation occurs when inputs from the three sensory systems are synchronized with one another and aligned with Earth’s gravity. The earlier an Earth-fixed visual reference can be introduced the sooner the readaptation process can begin. The goal of this project is to identify the optimal features of a device that visually presents gravitational reference cues to support stability and readaptation. METHODS The capsule sensory-condition simulator is a three-sided enclosure atop a six degree-of-freedom motion platform. A sum-of-sines equation is used to drive the motion platform, producing the simulated wave motion. The equation was derived using the frequency range present in inertial measurement unit (IMU) data collected during open-water Orion mock-up testing. The enclosure creates the nature of a floating visual environment where the walls move in relation to the standing surface. To more accurately represent the condition of postflight crewmembers, galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is applied to disrupt normal vestibular function and standing on a compliant surface attenuates proprioceptive feedback. An instrumented handhold allows the subjects to stabilize themselves and serves as the primary dependent variable. Subjects are instructed to minimize handhold use so the higher forces applied to the handhold correspond to greater instability. Various forms of a visual reference have been explored. Passive systems, such as mechanical gimbals and weighted plumb bobs were eliminated from consideration because of the intertia-induced oscillations that the wave-motion causes. Laser lines presented as horizontal, vertical, or the combination of both are being used to provide the Earth-fixed visual reference. These are presented in the central visual field or periphery from laser sources that are mounted either from within or outside the visual enclosure. RESULTS Data collection for this study is currently in progress. CONCLUSIONS This study will determine whether a visual reference system can help improve stability during challenging sensory conditions and define the optimal chacteristics for such a system.

Brian T Peters↗

NASA NTRS2012

Long Duration Head-Down Tilt Bed Rest Studies: Safety Considerations Regarding Vision Health

Visual symptoms reported in astronauts returning from long duration missions in low Earth orbit, including hyperopic shift, choroidal folds, globe flattening and papilledema, are thought to be related to fluid shifts within the body due to microgravity exposure. Because of this possible relation to fluid shifts, safety considerations have been raised regarding the ocular health of head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest subjects. HDT is a widely used ground ]based analog that simulates physiological changes of spaceflight, including fluid shifts. Thus, vision monitoring has been performed in bed rest subjects in order to evaluate the safety of HDT with respect to vision health. Here we report ocular outcomes in 9 healthy subjects (age range: 27-48 years; Male/Female ratio: 8/1) completing bed rest Campaign 11, an integrated, multidisciplinary 70-day 6 degrees HDT bed rest study. Vision examinations were performed on a weekly basis, and consisted of office-based (2 pre- and 2 post-bed rest) and in-bed testing. The experimental design was a repeated measures design, with measurements for both eyes taken for each subject at each planned time point. Findings for the following tests were all reported as normal in each testing session for every subject: modified Amsler grid, red dot test, confrontational visual fields, color vision and fundus photography. Overall, no statistically significant differences were observed for any of the measures, except for both near and far visual acuity, which increased during the course of the study. This difference is not considered clinically relevant as may result from the effect of learning. Intraocular pressure results suggest a small increase at the beginning of the bed rest phase (p=0.059) and lesser increase at post-bed rest with respect to baseline (p=0.046). These preliminary results provide the basis for further analyses that will include correlations between intraocular pressure change pre- and post-bed rest, and optical coherence tomography measurements of the retina.

Cromwell, Ronita L.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Augmented Reality in a Simulated Tower Environment: Effect of Field of View on Aircraft Detection

An optical see-through, augmented reality display was used to study subjects' ability to detect aircraft maneuvering and landing at the Dallas Ft. Worth International airport in an ATC Tower simulation. Subjects monitored the traffic patterns as if from the airport's western control tower. Three binocular fields of view (14 deg, 28 deg and 47 deg) were studied in an independent groups' design to measure the degradation in detection performance associated with the visual field restrictions. In a second experiment the 14 deg and 28 deg fields were presented either with 46% binocular overlap or 100% overlap for separate groups. The near asymptotic results of the first experiment suggest that binocular fields of view much greater than 47% are unlikely to dramatically improve performance; and those of the second experiment suggest that partial binocular overlap is feasible for augmented reality displays such as may be used for ATC tower applications.

Ellis, Stephen R.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Workflow to Rapidly Interrogate Multiscale Model Simulation Results Across Multiple Length Scales

Many tools can be used to visualize field and state variables for a single scale analysis so that the influence of relevant mechanisms can be evaluated. Finite element software is often utilized to simulate a unit cell of a material and visualize results at that scale. Material properties can be homogenized from individual constituents and local deformation, damage, and failure mechanisms can be evaluated within the unit cell due to globally applied boundary conditions. Such solutions can produce satisfactory results if a user is only interested in analyzing a single scale. But materials in general contain features across multiple length scales, and assumptions must be made when attempting to account for lower length scale phenomena within a higher length scale model. Multiscale modeling is an attractive means to model materials because detailed material responses can be tracked across multiple disparate length scales while reducing the amount of required assumptions. However, as the complexity of these models increases, a large amount of data can be produced, and data traceability can become increasingly more difficult. Field and state variables, which are naturally dependent on spatial position, may themselves be calculated from one or more lower length scale unit cell models each with their own appropriate field and state variables. The NASA Multiscale Analysis Tool (NASMAT) is one software that can be used to perform a multiscale analysis efficiently and output requested data at all length scales in the analysis. A companion open-source Python software, NASMAT PrePost, can be used to visualize NASMAT model results and rapidly interrogate multiscale data across multiple length scales. This presentation will demonstrate some of the key features of NASMAT PrePost on two multiscale problems by quickly displaying and demonstrating connectivity among multiscale results from large datasets.

Python↗

NASA NTRS1975

Perception of linear horizontal self-motion induced by peripheral vision /linearvection/ - Basic characteristics and visual-vestibular interactions

The basic characteristics of the sensation of linear horizontal motion have been studied. Objective linear motion was induced by means of a moving cart. Visually induced linear motion perception (linearvection) was obtained by projection of moving images at the periphery of the visual field. Image velocity and luminance thresholds for the appearance of linearvection have been measured and are in the range of those for image motion detection (without sensation of self motion) by the visual system. Latencies of onset are around 1 sec and short term adaptation has been shown. The dynamic range of the visual analyzer as judged by frequency analysis is lower than the vestibular analyzer. Conflicting situations in which visual cues contradict vestibular and other proprioceptive cues show, in the case of linearvection a dominance of vision which supports the idea of an essential although not independent role of vision in self motion perception.

Berthoz, A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Introduction to Data Visualization

Data visualization can be used to present findings, explore data, and use the human eye to find patterns that a computer would struggle to locate. Borrowing tools from art, storytelling, data analytics and software development, data visualization is an indispensable part of the analysis process. While data visualization usage spans across multiple disciplines and sectors, most never receive formal training in the subject. As such, this tutorial will introduce key data visualization building blocks and how to best use those building blocks for different scenarios and audiences. We will also go over tips on accessibility, design and interactive elements. While this will by no means be a complete overview of the data visualization field, by building a foundation and introducing some rules of thumb, attendees will be better equipped for communicating their findings to their audience.

data visualization↗

NASA NTRS1978

Experimental testing of flight control head up displays

Experiments and tests with 4 generations of head up displays was reported. The CV 191, based on fighter aircraft gunsights was replaced by the CV 193, with several improvements. The CV 193 V incorporates the velocity vector reference mark, eliminates much other data, clusters the rest in a small area of the visual field and is seen together with the outside landscape. The CV 91 presents only velocity vector and total angle of descent data, used when runway and horizon are visible; TC 121 displays an outline of the runway and can be used in visual and instrument approaches.

Berjal, M.↗