Human Effectiveness Applied Research

This Project enhances combat survivability and systems effectiveness through research that enable deployed forces to counter optical threats and exploit optical systems for offensive applications. In addition, basic biological investigations into the mechanisms associated with high peak power and high average power radio frequency exposure allow for the exploitation of directed energy systems for offensive capabilities while protecting the Department of the Air Force (DAF) warfighter from adversarial use of radio frequency technologies. The Project conducts applied research on the effects of human exposure to electromagnetic energy (direct current to radio frequency to optical, scalable directed energy weapons, and other novel weapons). The Project conducts laboratory experiments to provide fundamental knowledge of mechanisms of interaction of directed energy with molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and whole organisms in support of military directed energy systems. This research addresses mechanisms of interactions through fundamental physical principles, biological responses, and physiological outcomes. Research focus areas include novel directed energy bioeffects and mechanisms and directed energy modeling, simulation, and analysis. Novel directed energy bioeffects mechanisms research examines the physical, physiological, behavioral, and neural interactions of electromagnetic energy with tissues to understand dose-response effects as well as reveal the means to cause or prevent a specific effect. This work assures valid assessments of real-world concerns and manages the risks associated with technological surprise. The project includes laboratory experiments to understand the mechanistic and behavioral effects of novel weapon incidents to Airmen and Guardians and to understand the effects of protection strategies on DAF warfighter performance. Directed energy modeling, simulation, and analysis research focuses on new software components that represent and optimize concepts of novel system employment from the Airman standpoint. These components are matured for future transition and application for engagement-to-mission level simulations in which directed energy weapons are employed.

This project conducts research to achieve Department of the Air Force (DAF) warfighter decision superiority for all mission sets through advanced human-machine interfaces, joint-cognitive systems decision-making, and distributed and collaborative teaming and communication enhancements. These technologies are critical to optimally integrating DAF warfighters with the increasingly technological & networked battlespace to achieve and maintain resilient decision superiority and defeat adversaries. The research provides advanced warfighter Command and Control interface technology, team collaboration tools, intelligent decision aids, and agile communications management. The research is conducted in two focus areas: human-machine interactions, and distributed teaming and communication. Human-machine interactions focuses on achieving decision superiority by optimizing human engagement with increasingly complex, highly automated, and Artificial Intelligence-enabled combat and combat support systems. Distributed teaming and communication focuses on research technology and methods to enhance the formation, assessment, and performance of distributed teams of warfighters as well as human-machine teams executing combat.

This project conducts research focused on enhancing warfighter readiness through the development of an advanced, extensible, multi-domain test and training ecosystem, implementing advanced modeling and simulation architectures and data management structures to support at-scale JAD operational training exercises. Two major thrust areas are: 1) Learning and Operational Training, focused on the development of theoretically-grounded training tools and technologies to improve knowledge and skill acquisition and retention, employing models that describe how humans learn and perform, and exploiting the synergy of joint Human-AI teams for real-time learning during operations, and 2) Digital Models of Cognition, focused on the development of scalable, high-fidelity models of human perception and cognition to predict human decision-making under operational stressors; these human information processing models are integrated into realistic mission simulation environments. Work in this project supports missions across the USAF and USSF, including pilot training in Air Education and Training, Air Combat, and Air Mobility Commands, prediction, assessment, and mitigation of cognitive workload in complex, max endurance operations, and broad support for battle management, information warfare, agile combat operations, and wargaming.

This project conducts research to optimize, safe-guard, and restore the cognitive and physical performance of the multi-domain Department of the Air Force (DAF) warfighter in all mission environments. Research is focused in the following thrust areas: 1) Applied Cognitive Neurosciences: technologies to sustain, augment, and recover operator performance; 2) Biotechnology for Performance: research in systems biology, synthetic biology, and risk assessment; 3) Performance Sensing and Assessment: technologies to sense and forecast operator state based on physiological, molecular, and environmental signatures related to mission performance; and 4) Performance Impact of Flight: elucidate how air environments affect processes of life and the ability to maintain physiological equilibrium and develop countermeasures and technologies to sustain, enhance, and restore operator performance.