CHARLES RIVER ANALYTICS, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: The modern Warfighter is augmented with complex operational systems to improve his situati

Description

The modern Warfighter is augmented with complex operational systems to improve his situational awareness, increase his performance range, and act as a force multiplier. However, these new systems often come at the price of increased cognitive workload on the part of the Warfighter, and they may even introduce performance errors that arise from a lack of cognitive readiness. System analysts can improve cognitive readiness by identifying a Warfighter"s cognitive performance deficits and addressing them through training, improved performance support, and redesigned operational systems. To identify these deficits, neurocognitive measurements of indicators such as cognitive workload and attention can be approximated with high accuracy by using non-invasive sensors to measure brain activity and other physiological indicators. Thus, we propose to design and demonstrate the feasibility of Cognitive Readiness Agents for Neural Imaging and Understanding Models (CRANIUM), a toolkit for system analysts to use neurocognitive measurements to recommend additional training for individual users, performance support for all users of the system, or the redesign of system interfaces or components. CRANIUM addresses a clear need for an extensible, general-purpose, stand-alone neurocognitive assessment toolkit that can be incorporated into new and existing military technology with little to no integration effort.