FIGURE 1
improve computer modeling for human performance optimization.
NSRDEC, a subordinate organization of RDECOM, worked with Massachusetts- based TSE Inc. in a partnership developed through SBIR and STTR to improve the accuracy and functionality of pres- ent military modeling and simulation software, such as the Infantry Warrior Simulation. Te SBIR project involved research to develop and implement meth- odologies and algorithms to address the impacts of encumbrance on Soldiers and small units (SSUs).
“Task-related encumbrance” is the impact that equipment, systems and environ- mental and operational factors have on SSU task performance and mission effec- tiveness, an element of the evaluation and assessment phase of the human perfor- mance optimization work. NSRDEC is the Army’s lead organization for human performance optimization.
“Encumbrances on SSUs impact task performance through a change in physi- ological state—for example, heat stress and hydration—or interference, such as limited field of view, and this can result in degraded performance,” said Tomas Gilroy, the NSRDEC team chief for SBIRs regarding simulation and mod- eling for acquisition, requirements and training technologies. (See Figure 1.)
Working with NSRDEC through Feb- ruary 2014, TSE developed a set of physiological representations for military modeling-and-simulation applications to enable researchers to study and answer critical questions about human perfor- mance and assess the operational costs of encumbrance. Te collaborative effort resulted in an interactive Web applica- tion that uses military algorithms and methodologies to calculate the maximum
PS Trek™ calculates the maximum speed an agent can move while carrying a certain load.
PS Charge™ calculates power usage and the total equipment and battery weight a Soldier must carry during a specified mission.
PS Exhaust™ uses subject-matter experts’ input to calculate the time required to perform a task while encumbered.
PS Fixate™ calculates the error associated with determining the location of where a sound originated.
PS Heat™ calculates an agent’s rectal temperature based on
environmental and human characteristics over time.
PS TRED™, the Performance Suite Task-Related Encumbrance Database, is an online database that captures the links between materiel, tasks, encumbrance factors and effects, and the supporting reference(s), while associating them for easy search and retrieval.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS TSE Performance Suite™ (PS), used to assess the operational impacts of Soldier encumbrance more fully, has a number of components. NSRDEC worked with TSE Inc. through the SBIR and STTR programs to develop the new technology as a means to improve computer modeling for human performance optimization. (SOURCE: TSE Inc.)
speed a Soldier can move while carrying a load, based on research conducted in NSRDEC’s biomechanics laboratory.
“Te integration of these new capabilities into simulation applications will enable military analysts and decision-makers to analyze the trade-off between the impact of equipment and operational environ- ment and Soldier task performance. Having the ability to examine the task- related effects of encumbrance through the use of simulation models will further the goal of improving analysis capabilities for military decision-makers, ultimately con- tributing to the improvement of Soldiers’ survivability,
sustainability, mobility,
combat-effectiveness and quality of life,” said Gilroy.
Other applications developed by TSE calculate power usage and the total equipment and battery weight carried during a mission. Soldiers in the field typically carry more than 100 pounds of equipment, including nearly 20 pounds of batteries. Another TSE capability predicts the impact of encumbrance on task performance, and another feature computes a Soldier’s temperature based on environmental and human character- istics over time.
“Tis work is part of a larger, more com- prehensive effort in human performance optimization, both at the Soldier and squad level. We are working with many collaborative partners and value the input and assistance we get from small business on this important project. Te
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