To date, the complex robotics operations aboard the shuttle and International Space Station have been successful, but not entirely without incident. The impairment of cognitive abilities, likely due to fatigue, has been identified as a factor leading to errors in performance. In nominal operations, pauses, unnecessary movements and performance inefficiency may reflect cognitive impairment. Preventative countermeasures are necessary to reduce this risk and improve crew safety for current and future robotic operations.

In this project, subjects will be trained to perform simulated robotics tasks under realistic astronaut schedules. Using a within-subjects design, our experiments will investigate how the proposed fatigue countermeasures affect both cognitive and task performance, thereby enabling their relationship to be understood. If this correlation can be established, we will provide more evidence that these assessment tools could be used as indicators of fitness-for-duty.

Specific Aims
1) Characterize the changes in cognitive function during robotic operations that affect performance;

2) Validate proxy cognitive assessment tests such as the Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) or Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) as predictors of performance changes in a complex operational task, and;

3) Test the efficacy of fatigue countermeasures (e.g., light, caffeine, modafinil) to improve cognition during robotic operations.

The project is a collaborative effort between the MIT Man Vehicle Laboratory the Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School, the NASA Johnson Space Center Mechanical and Robotics Systems Group, and the NASA Astronaut Office. MIT will develop the simulations of robotics operations and implement the cognitive assessment tests. The BWH/Harvard team will create realistic schedules and environmental conditions to test the impact of countermeasures under these conditions. We will work closely with NASA trainers and astronauts to guide the direction of the research and recreate valid operational scenarios.

Project Description
NASA Task Book Entry