Drexel University to use Simlat C-STAR in ASSURE human factors research

Simlat delivered a C-STAR simulation lab for human factors research to Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As part of Drexel's membership in the FAA UAS Center of Excellence, the  Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE), the university has been using Simlat's C-STAR system to study human factors in UAS operation.

The delivered C-STAR system includes Simlat’s Performance Analysis & Evaluation module (PANEL) to support this research. Simlat PANEL collects and processes simulation data to produce comprehensive reports of trainees’ performance in various tasks, malfunctions and missions throughout a training session.

In November 2017 the Drexel’s CONQUER Collaborative performed an experiment that focused on monitoring performance of the UAS payload operator during training by a wearable brain monitoring technology – functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). In this experiment, subjects with no previous experience with UAS were tasked with sensor and payload operation, requiring skills such as systematic approach, situational awareness and spatial orientation. Performance was measured using an fNIRS system and Simlat's PANEL. The experiment demonstrated increased proficiency and reduced cognitive effort as subjects gained more experience.

“This study has been one of the early attempts in the UAS training to develop advanced performance assessment technologies as well as personalized and adaptive training methods” said Kurtulus Izzetoglu, PhD, an associate research professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems who is one of the Drexel’s institutional lead for the FAA ASSURE COE. The Drexel team hosts two of SIMLAT’s C-STAR systems to use as a UAS training simulator platform for its research.