Vision in combat flight
The following subjects will be discussed:
High G+ effects on brain and vision.
The interaction between reduced brain blood perfusion and the providing retina with oxygen.
Results of systolic blood pressure at the level of the head, while decreasing below the intra ocular pressure 18 mm Hg.
The Gray Out and Black Out condition, as physiological warning about approaching the state of Loss of Consciousness (LOC).
Highly maneuverable planes and sign alternating (+/-G) condition.
Push-Pull effect, as the instance of even low +G, when instantly following the minus -G acceleration and opposite.
No time allowed to notice the retinal reduced oxygenation (no responding to photo stimulation), by the still operational brain at lower blood perfusion.
Ceasing the chance for noticing the physiological LOC Warning.
The dynamics of losing the consciousness and the process of recovery from it.
Delayed assigning of the meaning, acquiring the situation context.
Instead of updating the model of flight condition, based on indications of flight instruments, the pilots are prone to substituting it with the wrong data from before LOC.
Loss of sense of passing time, when out of consciousness.
Lack of awareness on being in LOC state.
Vestibule-oculomotor responses (VOR) useful when operating on the ground. They provide the stability of image projection on the retina, which is necessary for high spatial frequence vision. The VOR moves the eyes, with the same velocity as the head is moving, but in the opposite direction. In this way it prevents the slippage of the projected image and its smearing, which may incapacitate the high resolution vision. Analogy to taking the picture on celluloid, we need to hold camera still, while releasing the shutter. In the flight condition the situation drastically changes. The VOR works in contradiction the high resolution vision, incapacitating it to the extent, that pilots may experience difficulty with correct reading the flight / navigational instruments.
Explanation of physiology behind it.
The habituation of VOR acquired during the flight training and hundreds of hours practicing the flying of high maneuverable planes.
The effects of ototoxic chemicals and medications, reducing / minimizing the effects of acquired VOR habituation.
The necessity for preflight testing, on the presence of reduced VOR habituation.
It may act as the trap incapacitating the resolving of spatial (3D) disorientation, even by the highly trained pilots (instructors).
The WHITE-BOX Project.
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 18 Jun 2025
- Time: 07:45 AM UTC to 09:15 AM UTC
-
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- POZNAŃ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
- ul. Jana Pawła II 24, 60-965 Poznań, Poland
- Poznań, Wielkopolskie
- Poland 60-965
- Building: CENTER FOR MECHATRONICS, BIOMECHANICS, AND NANOENGINEERING
- Room Number: room 230
- Contact Event Host
-
The meeting on June 18, 2025 at 9:45 AM will be organized in a hybrid form.
The link:
https://emeeting.put.poznan.pl/eMeeting/ada-zkq-942
The address:
ul. Jana Pawła II 24, 60-965 Poznań, room 230 - Co-sponsored by Poznan University of Technology
- Starts 04 June 2025 10:00 PM UTC
- Ends 17 June 2025 10:00 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Jan Ober
Vision in combat flight
The following subjects will be discussed:
High G+ effects on brain and vision.
The interaction between reduced brain blood perfusion and the providing retina with oxygen.
Results of systolic blood pressure at the level of the head, while decreasing below the intra ocular pressure 18 mm Hg.
The Gray Out and Black Out condition, as physiological warning about approaching the state of Loss of Consciousness (LOC).
Highly maneuverable planes and sign alternating (+/-G) condition.
Push-Pull effect, as the instance of even low +G, when instantly following the minus -G acceleration and opposite.
No time allowed to notice the retinal reduced oxygenation (no responding to photo stimulation), by the still operational brain at lower blood perfusion.
Ceasing the chance for noticing the physiological LOC Warning.
The dynamics of losing the consciousness and the process of recovery from it.
Delayed assigning of the meaning, acquiring the situation context.
Instead of updating the model of flight condition, based on indications of flight instruments, the pilots are prone to substituting it with the wrong data from before LOC.
Loss of sense of passing time, when out of consciousness.
Lack of awareness on being in LOC state.
Vestibule-oculomotor responses (VOR) useful when operating on the ground. They provide the stability of image projection on the retina, which is necessary for high spatial frequence vision. The VOR moves the eyes, with the same velocity as the head is moving, but in the opposite direction. In this way it prevents the slippage of the projected image and its smearing, which may incapacitate the high resolution vision. Analogy to taking the picture on celluloid, we need to hold camera still, while releasing the shutter. In the flight condition the situation drastically changes. The VOR works in contradiction the high resolution vision, incapacitating it to the extent, that pilots may experience difficulty with correct reading the flight / navigational instruments.
Explanation of physiology behind it.
The habituation of VOR acquired during the flight training and hundreds of hours practicing the flying of high maneuverable planes.
The effects of ototoxic chemicals and medications, reducing / minimizing the effects of acquired VOR habituation.
The necessity for preflight testing, on the presence of reduced VOR habituation.
It may act as the trap incapacitating the resolving of spatial (3D) disorientation, even by the highly trained pilots (instructors).
The WHITE-BOX Project.
Biography:
Professor Dr. Hab. Jan Ober is now emeritus professor at the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences.
He finished studies in 1969 at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Institute of Precision Mechanics and Optics. He was awarded the Doctor degree of technical sciences in 1972 at Częstochowa University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He obtained habilitation in 1977 at the Department of Mechanics, Aviation, and Energy Engineering at Warsaw University of Technology.
In 1980, Professor Jan Ober established an Independent Laboratory of Rehabilitation Engineering and Biomechanics of the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, Poland. Throughout the period of the laboratory activity, he was acting as the Head.
Professor Jan Ober's research focuses on oculomotor functions, especially of the eyes, in the application to the diagnosis of neurological diseases, monitoring the physiological aging of the central nervous system and the risk of brain concussion in contact sports (e.g. in the case of boxing), as well as on difficulties in acquiring reading skills among children (dyslexia). The research includes also the attention management mechanisms for operators of complex technical systems, in the safety context.
In result, this research concerns the design of systems with a built-in knowledge in such a way that the users should be aware of it. Thus, even if it is primarily a basic research that includes development of methods, diagnostic experiments, measuring devices, etc. the design of prototype devices is necessary to conduct practical tests.
He headed the White Box Project for military aviation safety and participated in European Projects: Vintec devoted to flight safety in civil aviation (shared situational awareness) and Vita devoted to safety of the energy supply European network.
It should be stressed that the devices developed by Professor Jan Ober are used in over twenty leading universities and research centers all over the world.
Email:
Address:POZNAŃ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, CENTER FOR MECHATRONICS, BIOMECHANICS, AND NANOENGINEERING, Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland, 60-965