Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating attention to a task are disclosed. The method may include: detecting, with a sensor, one or more movements, estimating the task attention state based on the one or more movements, determining the workload based on the estimated attention state, and determining based on the workload, the optimal format for the relay of operational information that best facilitates attention to the task for increased ease of task performance.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting vehicle speed during an indirect vision driving task. A further method and apparatus for optimizing the display of a camera return during an indirect vision driving task based on operator perceived vehicle speed as set by the display characteristics and the field-of-view of the camera. A further method and apparatus for using the perceived speed as a driving task aid, in particular, as an electronic aider for optimizing the driving scene display characteristics of scene compression and camera field-of view. In this manner, the invention adjusts the perceived speed in order to match the operator's cognitive flow to the control dynamics needed from the operator for the task. The invention has application to autonomous driving where manual intervention is incorporated during critical events for particular tasks; and with limited display space within the vehicle, the display format is adjusted by the invention according to the operator's task needs.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting vehicle speed during an indirect vision driving task. A further method and apparatus for optimizing the display of a camera return during an indirect vision driving task based on operator perceived vehicle speed as set by the display characteristics and the field-of-view of the camera. A further method and apparatus for using the perceived speed as a driving task aid, in particular, as an electronic aider for optimizing the driving scene display characteristics of scene compression and camera field-of view. In this manner, the invention adjusts the perceived speed in order to match the operator's cognitive flow to the control dynamics needed from the operator for the task. The invention has application to autonomous driving where manual intervention is incorporated during critical events for particular tasks; and with limited display space within the vehicle, the display format is adjusted by the invention according to the operator's task needs.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for estimating activation of cerebral cortical sources from scalp site measurements of electroencephalograms (EEG) from a human subject are provided.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for estimating brain activity of a human subject from the measurement of electroencephalograms (EEG) are disclosed. In one method, cortical neural sources in the cerebral cortex of the brain of the subject are specified. Next, using a model of the human brain which treats the cortical neural sources as nodes in a cortical source network, cortical source activations are estimated from the measured electroencephalograms for each of the cortical neural sources in the network for the subject. Source network modulation control signals are then determined for the subject from the cortical source activations which are assumed to correspond to control modulators in the human brain. And a network activity classification is computed from determined modulation control signals for the subject. The innovative technology may be included in an automated aiding system in the electronic aiding of tasks performed by human operators.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting vehicle speed during an indirect vision driving task. A further method and apparatus for optimizing the display of a camera return during an indirect vision driving task based on operator perceived vehicle speed as set by the display characteristics and the field-of-view of the camera. A further method and apparatus for using the perceived speed as a driving task aid, in particular, as an electronic aider for optimizing the driving scene display characteristics of scene compression and camera field-of view. In this manner, the invention adjusts the perceived speed in order to match the operator's cognitive flow to the control dynamics needed from the operator for the task. The invention has application to autonomous driving where manual intervention is incorporated during critical events for particular tasks; and with limited display space within the vehicle, the display format is adjusted by the invention according to the operator's task needs.

Abstract: A dual-image display for at least two crewmembers who may interact independently with the display using touch screen buttons, switches, or hand controllers. The display enables the simultaneous display of different information and visual content depending on the viewing angle or direction. In one embodiment, a video display system for use by crewmembers in vehicles may include: a computer processor; a display monitor comprising a common display driver configured to provide separate virtual displays to at least two crewmember users, the virtual displays being visible to a respective user based on the an angle of view of the respective user; and one or more activators operatively associated with the users, wherein said display monitor is configured to be activated by said one or more activators of said users according to a user priority determination algorithm executed by said computer processor.

Abstract: A dual-image display provided for use in a manned vehicle crew station and a display operating system for crewmembers who may interact independently with the display using touch screen buttons, switches, or hand controllers. The display enables the simultaneous display of different information and content depending on the viewing angle or direction. In one embodiment, a video display system may include: a computer processor; a display monitor comprising a common display driver configured to provide separate virtual displays to at least two crewmember users, the virtual displays being visible to a respective user based on the an angle of view of the respective user; and one or more activators operatively associated with the users, wherein said display monitor is configured to be activated by said one or more activators of said users according to a user priority determination algorithm executed by said processor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating attention to a task are disclosed. The method may include: detecting, with a sensor, one or more movements, estimating the task attention state based on the one or more movements, determining the workload based on the estimated attention state, and determining based on the workload, the optimal format for the relay of operational information that best facilitates attention to the task for increased ease of task performance.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for adaptively mitigating motion sickness in an operator are provided herein. In some embodiments, a compensatory modulator for use with a display controller included in a system to adaptively mitigating motion sickness in an operator may include one or more inputs to receive at least one of physiological measurements of the operator or operator activity behavior from one or more monitoring devices, and a motion sickness expert system configured to (a) determine a cognitive state of the operator based on the received inputs, (b) compute mitigating display parameters based on the determined cognitive state of the operator, (c) output the computed mitigating display parameters to the display controller.

Abstract: Systems for suppressing motion sickness are provided. In this regard, an exemplary system comprises a display device and a display controller. The display device is operative to display a first image and a second image. The display controller communicates with the display device and is operative to control display of the second image such that the second image moves relative to the display device in response to at least one of: motion of the first image relative to the display device, and motion of the display device. Methods and other systems also are provided.

Abstract: A retinal scanning display, an active-pixel image sensor array, and an im processor track the movements of the human eye. The scanning nature of the display acts as a sequential source of eye illumination. The active-pixel image sensor array is directed toward the cornea of the eye through a matrix of micro-lens. The sensor is integrated with a comparator array which is interfaced to bilateral switches. An element address encoder and latch determines the sensor element which reaches maximum intensity during the raster-scan period of the display driver. Over a display field refresh cycle, the invention maps the corneal surface to a data table by pairing sensor activations to the specular reflections from the cornea of the sequenced source lights.

Abstract: An automatic aider of human cognitive functions for the operation of computerized displays. The invention estimates in real-time the mental decision made in response to a displayed stimulus from the single-even, transient, evoked cerebral potential and the corresponding visual response. The invention attains high accuracy levels of decision classification by combining a unique parametric model of the cerebral potential with advanced techniques drawn from numerical analysis, artificial intelligence, and nonlinear regression analysis. The invention uses an expert system to determine the decision aiding to be provided to the human operator from the disparities among the estimations and the decisions that are expected from task scripts for the displayed stimulus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining ocular gaze point of regard and fixation duration utilizing Electrooculographic measurements and head position and orientation data. The Electrooculographic (EOG) potentials from an unipolar measuring configuration, are first amplified, filtered and digitized. A computation scheme based on the mathematical relation for the sum and difference potentials between opposing electrodes placed about the eye is then used to compute ocular orientation and amplifier gains and DC bias offset voltages. The sensor system of the invention may be embedded in a neoprene holder for a helmet mounted display; the holder fitting around the eyes like a set of goggles, is against the face well out of the way of the natural field of view. The invention is easily extended to the simultaneous tracking of both eyes thereby allowing the measurement of the optical convergence point in the user's three dimensional workspace either real or virtual.

Abstract: The invention consists of an eyetracker, a display driver, an adaptive display interface controller, and a digital computer. A user of the invention can operate a heads-up display (or a head mounted display) with an eyetracker, leaving his hands free to perform a manual control task. The user selects a display element from an array of choices on the heads-up display by gazing at an element while he activates a confirming mechanism. Both tasks share a common visual working area with overlaid visual images, and task interference is reduced since eye-movements and visual attention are dedicated to the same display surface.The adaptive display interface automatically aids the user in display operations during high manual task loading. The adaptive interface is driven by an electronic Expert System on human visual processes programmed as a Fuzzy Logic controller.

Abstract: The present invention estimates the cognitive decision made in response to a known stimulus from the corresponding single-event evoked cerebral potential. The present invention uses a unique recursive procedure to identify the decision from a mathematical description of the potential as the output of a cerebrally located, autoregressive, moving average filter with the stimulus as an exogenous input. The procedure employs in a two-step sequence, the least squares algorithm to update the filter coefficients, followed by a Taylor's Series approximation for updating an internal cerebral source signal which is generated in response to the external stimulus. The recursive procedure computes the attenuation used by the moving average component of the filter to produce the cerebral source signal. This procedure is repeated for all feasible cerebral source signals, computed from the set of possible event evoked average response potentials, to produce a set of attenuator-values.

Abstract: A device and method for estimating a mental decision to select a visual cue from the viewer's eye fixation and corresponding single event evoked cerebral potential. The device comprises an eyetracker, an electronic biosignal processor and a digital computer. The eyetracker determines the instantaneous viewing direction from oculometric measurements and a head position and orientation sensor. The electronic processor continually estimates the cerebral electroencephalogramic potential from scalp surface measurements following corrections for electrooculogramic, electromyogramic and electrocardiogramic artifacts. The digital computer analyzes the viewing direction data for a fixation and then extracts the corresponding single event evoked cerebral potential.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus for measuring eye gaze and fixation duration employing an electronic video display array as sequential sources of eye illumination. The video display of the apparatus may be task related or near infrared light sources used merely to track the user's eye. The apparatus of the invention is based on an opto-transistor array, a comparator array and an encoder and latch clocked by the raster-scan pulses of the display driver, which are configured to construct a pairing table of sequential source corneal reflections to sensor activations over the display field refresh cycle. An accurate three dimensional ocular model is computed from opthalmometric techiniques from which the viewing direction and fixation duration are derived. The apparatus is easily extended to the simultaneous tracking of both eyes and is designed to be used with head-mounted video displays. The accuracy of the apparatus is independent of shifts of the helmet on the user's head.