Lidé na fakultě
Ing. Lenka Hanáková, Ph.D.

2024, 2024 New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)), p. 159-164), ISBN 979-8-3315-2774-7, ISSN 2836-2764

Fear of flying, or aviophobia, is a significant issue affecting a substantial portion of the population, with young adults being particularly vulnerable. Despite the high safety record of aviation, this irrational fear can severely impact an individual’s willingness or ability to travel by air, especially in the context of increasing global air traffic. This study investigates the factors contributing to fear of flying among young commuters aged 18-26 using a stated preference survey. The analysis highlights that fear is primarily driven by emotional responses to situational triggers rather than rational assessments of air travel safety. Key predictors of fear include concerns about terrorism, aviation accidents, and adverse weather conditions, with these factors exerting significant emotional influence despite their statistical rarity. The study also reveals a disconnect between objective safety perceptions and subjective fear, indicating that even passengers who acknowledge the general safety of air travel may still experience anxiety triggered by situational factors.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2024, Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 37 (4), ISSN 0893-1321

The conventional pitot-static tube's accuracy in measuring indicated airspeed is compromised by its longitudinal inclination during forward flight, causing errors when the angle surpasses a critical threshold. This study aimed to propose and assess new designs for pitot-static tube ports to mitigate the angle of attack. Modifications, such as enlarging the inlet cross section, altering the tube port's leading surface angle, and introducing new inlet openings, were implemented in five prototypes. After 2D CFD simulations, these prototypes were 3D printed, and experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel across angles from 0° to 55° at three airflow speeds. CFD results indicated increased error with larger inlet diameters and revealed an oscillating error phenomenon for multiple inlet openings. Experimental tests contradicted expected accuracy issues with extended diameters, suggesting superior characteristics at higher angles of attack. An oscillating error of pitot-static tubes with multiple holes was affirmed. The study targeted a pitot-static tube port design with a maximum 5% error in airspeed measurement within attack angles from 0° to 40°, showing promise for vertical takeoff and landing vehicle airspeed measurement during horizontal forward flight.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2024, IEEE Access, 12, p. 109806-109821), ISSN 2169-3536

The increasing diversity of multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) designs poses significant challenges in evaluating their flight characteristics and performance parameters. This is particularly true for commercially available UAVs whose control units do not provide users with data that could be used, for example, to estimate the operational and flight limits of the flight device itself. This study introduces the concept of a mountable device designed to track and assess the flight parameters of quadcopters, independent of the UAV's systems. Specifically, it involves independent monitoring of rotations, flight speed, air pressure, temperature, and drone orientation in space. The device validation involved real flight tests with the IRIS+ quadcopter using the Pixhawk control system, whose data were taken as a benchmark for validation. To demonstrate the applicability and benefits of such a device, the study also created a concept of an operational envelope for the drone, i.e. dependence of thrust on weight, angle of attack and speed. This concept was created using robotic simulation in the Gazebo environment. In the simulations, the IRIS+ device was used to simulate flights with different payload weights (0.9-2.9 lb, approximately 0.4-1.3 kg) and twenty flight speeds (1-20 ms-1), while simultaneously monitoring the angle of attack and motor revolutions (subsequently converted to thrust). The created operational envelope was subsequently validated using data from real flights. The overall results demonstrated the successful validation of the designed device and the accuracy of the measurement of critical flight parameters, with rotation measurement errors ranging between 100-200 RPM, angle of attack error at 4.25°, and altitude measurement error based on pressure at 0.56 m. Additionally, within this concept, the measurement of indicated airspeed was introduced, reflecting the expected flight speed values. In the context of validating the operational envelope, the results showed that the parameters of real flights fell within the predicted area of the created operational envelope for the IRIS+ drone. Independent monitoring devices like this can benefit operational limit determination and other testing purposes, especially for UAVs lacking data-sharing control units.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2024, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 104, ISSN 0169-8141

Mild hypoxia in aviation is a well-known phenomenon that affects flight safety, particularly in general aviation. Experimental research on its influence on performance and physiological response has been limited, often yielding contradictory results. This study aimed to deepen the understanding of mild hypoxia's effects on pilots' physiological responses and performance. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize existing knowledge and assess the consistency and generalizability of previous findings. Novel empirical data were then obtained through an experiment designed to focus on cardiac activity and performance under mild hypoxic conditions. Twelve male active military pilots participated in the experiment, which involved two simulated flights under controlled conditions. Unlike previous studies, which have varied significantly in methodology and outcomes, this study employed an approach to isolate the effects of mild hypoxia while simultaneously approximating real flight conditions by using a full flight simulator and a reduced oxygen breathing device. The experiment did not indicate significant performance degradation, while compensatory mechanisms in cardiac activity were observed, specifically in the form of increased heart rate and heart rate variability. These findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge by providing a more consistent methodological framework and highlighting the physiological adaptations to mild hypoxia, serving as a foundation for further investigation into the relationship between mild hypoxia, pilot performance, and physiological response.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2024, Transportation Research Procedia, Amsterdam, Elsevier B.V.), p. 278-284), ISSN 2352-1465

Vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (VTOL UAVs) are becoming increasingly important in the modern aviation industry. With their growing use, it is essential to find solutions to newly emerging technical problems related to ensuring operational safety. One of these unresolved issues is the accumulation of ice on propeller blades during flight in adverse meteorological conditions. For VTOL UAVs, the propeller blades are the only lifting surfaces, and any disruption of their geometry by an ice layer can lead to the crash of the entire aircraft. A promising solution to this problem, currently being explored experimentally, is the use of hydrophobic coatings, which successfully delay or completely prevent the accumulation of ice. However, hydrophobic coatings currently lack sufficient durability and have a low ability to withstand normal operational wear and tear, causing them to lose their hydrophobic properties quickly. The primary goal of this work is to propose a concept and testing methodology that would allow propeller blades treated with hydrophobic coatings to be exposed to conditions as close as possible to operational wear and tear.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf.

2024, ISBN 978-80-01-07181-6, ISSN 2694-7854

Sborník z mezinár. konf. cizojazyčně

2024, New Trends in Civil Aviation: Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on New Trends in Civil Aviation 2024, Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 147-152), ISBN 978-80-01-07181-6, ISSN 2694-7854

This study focuses on the influence of specific sound frequencies on pilot psychophysiological condition within a simulated cockpit environment. Conducted using a flight simulator, the study involved fifteen male pilots with an average of 175 flight hours. The experiment consisted of three key phases: a hearing test, a familiarization flight, and the experimental flight where specific sounds within the 498 Hz to 4000 Hz range were played at 64 dB. These sounds, typical of cockpit noise, were integrated into flight scenario to assess their physiological impact on pilots, monitored via electrocardiograms and focused on heart rate variability, respectively. Also, subjective data were collected using questionnaire. The results suggest, that the specific noise can negatively affect pilots' psychophysiological conditions, increase perceived workload and decrease comfort.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2024, Aerospace, 11 (12), ISSN 2226-4310

The rapid growth in air traffic has led to increasing congestion at airports, creating bottlenecks that disrupt ground operations and compromise the efficiency of air traffic management (ATM). Ensuring the predictability of ground operations is vital for maintaining the sustainability of the ATM sector. Flight efficiency is closely tied to adherence to assigned airport arrival and departure slots, which helps minimize primary delays and prevents cascading reactionary delays. Significant deviations from scheduled arrival times—whether early or late—negatively impact airport operations and air traffic flow, often requiring the imposition of Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) regulations to accommodate demand fluctuations. This study leverages a data-driven machine learning approach to enhance the predictability of in-block and landing times. A Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) neural network was trained using a dataset that integrates flight trajectories, meteorological conditions, and airport operations data. The model demonstrated high accuracy in predicting landing time deviations, achieving a Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE) of 8.71 min and showing consistent performance across various long-haul flight profiles. In contrast, in-block time predictions exhibited greater variability, influenced by limited data on ground-level factors such as taxi-in delays and gate availability. The results highlight the potential of deep learning models to optimize airport resource allocation and improve operational planning. By accurately predicting landing times, this approach supports enhanced runway management and the better alignment of ground handling resources, reducing delays and increasing efficiency in high-traffic airport environments. These findings provide a foundation for developing predictive systems that improve airport operations and air traffic management, with benefits extending to both short- and long-haul flight operations.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2024

The document serves as a research report for project CK02000321, summarizing research activities and presenting the main findings within the context of the project's established goals. In addition, it includes a description of the methodological approaches, ensuring that this research is reproducible. The conducted research represents the largest study in this field worldwide in terms of measurements carried out and data collected. We consider the presented results to be generalizable.

Oponovaná výzkumná zpráva cizojazyčně

2024, 2024 New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)), p. 150-158), ISBN 979-8-3315-2774-7, ISSN 2836-2764

Runway slope illusions, a significant challenge in aviation, can distort pilots’ perception during critical phases of flight, particularly approach and landing. This study explores the susceptibility of pilots to these illusions in a controlled simulator environment using virtual reality technology. A systematic review of existing literature was conducted using the PRISMA methodology, revealing a notable gap in experimental studies directly addressing runway slope illusions. Subsequently, an experimental investigation was designed where 15 pilots performed repeated approaches to runways with varying slopes. Key performance metrics such as mean deviation from the ideal glide slope, standard deviation, RMSE, and time spent below the glide slope were analyzed. Although no statistically significant differences were found across the different runway slopes, patterns emerged, highlighting performance variability, especially on upslope runways. The findings underscore the need for further research into the effects of runway slope illusions on pilot performance, particularly under varying flight conditions.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2024, New Trends in Civil Aviation: Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on New Trends in Civil Aviation 2024, Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 53-58), ISBN 978-80-01-07181-6, ISSN 2694-7854

The approach to landing and the landing of an aircraft represent one of the most critical phases of flight. Under certain conditions, a pilot's activity in this phase can be influenced by the visual illusion of the runway aspect ratio. In this context, an experiment was designed to determine the impact of the runway aspect ratio illusion on pilot performance based on its objective evaluation. The experiment was conducted on a flight simulator using a virtual reality headset. Flight data, collected during visual flight rules approaches, were subsequently analyzed. The deviation of the descent angle during visual approaches from the optimal angle for visual aircraft landing was examined. Data analysis using the repeated measures ANOVA confirmed the influence of this illusion on pilots during flight in a simulated environment, as indicated by the root mean square error and maximum absolute error.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2023, 2023 New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD), Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), p. 262-269), ISBN 979-8-3503-7042-3, ISSN 2836-2756

Spatial orientation is very important during flight for the pilot and his ability to correctly perform several parallel tasks related to piloting, navigation and communication. In the event that the pilot loses his own spatial orientation, he must rely solely on the on-board instruments, increasing his workload and the likelihood that the pilot will make a mistake. Further, flight illusions are associated with the loss of spatial orientation and may cause the pilot to perceive inconsistent information about his or her position. Despite the fact that loss of spatial orientation may be commonly encountered by civilian pilots, they are not prepared for these situations as part of their practical training. Although full-flight simulators adapted to induce illusions can be utilized in this context, they are expensive and essentially unused in the training of civilian pilots. This has led to the proposal of a potentially usable and cost-effective technical solution that could be employed in inducing certain types of illusions. Therefore, the article specifically deals with the design of a rotary chair suitable for inducing vestibular nystagmus and the validation of this solution, along with an introduction to the practicality of this solution in the aviation training and research environment.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2023, Applied Sciences, 13 (5), ISSN 2076-3417

With the expanding electrification in all sectors of transport, it is necessary to look for new efficient solutions for propulsion systems for use in air transport. One of the approaches can be the use of electric ducted fans (EDFs), especially in, but not limited to, the case of unmanned aerial vehicles with vertical takeoff and landing. This concept has been known for several decades but has been used very little and therefore has been almost unexplored. This opens up opportunities for investigating the performance characteristics, electrical consumption or efficient thrust vectoring of EDFs with respect to their design and operational use. The presented study therefore deals with the influence of the EDF design change on its performance characteristics. These design changes mainly concerned the geometry of the cowling, i.e., reduction and increase of outlet cross section, and arrangement of fans, i.e., one- and two-rotor specification. The comparison was based on measuring of vertical thrust and power consumption during static testing. The results showed that the increasing outlet is the most suitable construction for the generation of vertical thrust during static testing, considering the specifically used EDF construction arrangement. Based on the findings, it can also be concluded that EDFs are a suitable option for use in unmanned aircraft as a competition to other propulsion systems.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2023, Human Factors in Transportation, New York, Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International), p. 530-538), ISBN 978-1-958651-71-1

Several strategies can be employed to combat a sudden onset of fatigue. Napping is widely used as one of these strategies. Commercial airlines allow one pilot on flight deck duty to avail of a short rest period in the pilot seat while the other pilot is responsible for the aircraft control – this technique is called controlled rest. Controlled rest is considered a tool to enhance flight safety; this is based on the premise that reducing fatigue leads to an improved pilot condition in the context of cognitive and motor functions. However, this assumption has not been explored on an experimental level and is not supported by objective data. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of control rest on pilot performance. Ten pilots participated in the study. The experiment consisted of four experimental flights in a simulator. Two flights were flown on the first night of the experiment without a controlled rest period and several days later another two night flights were flown with a controlled rest period. Deviations from the instrument landing system guidance during the final approach phase were evaluated in terms of precision and accuracy. The analysis of flight data revealed an improvement in horizontal path tracking for flight with controlled rest; this is further supported by the evaluation of excessive deviations in 3D space. On the other hand, significant performance degradation is observed in the vertical plane for flights with controlled rest.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf.

2023, 2023 New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD), Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), p. 222-227), ISBN 979-8-3503-7042-3, ISSN 2836-2756

Efficient airport operations are vital for ensuring the seamless flow of aircraft and passengers. However, real-world airport operations often deviate from meticulously crafted plans, necessitating dynamic resource allocation. These challenges become particularly pronounced during peak operational periods when butter capacity is limited. To address these issues, we conducted an analysis utilizing operational data from the airport, along with Filed Tactical Flight Model and Current Tactical Flight Model data, as well as meteorological information. Our study primarily focuses on incoming flights at Prague Airport, where we employed regression analysis, forward parameter selection, and a brute-force approach to identify key parameters. These parameters significantly enhance the predictability of in-block time deviations and delay caused in individual phases of the flight. Our model successfully explains up to 96 % of the variability in the data. In summary, this research aims to optimize airport operations by bridging the gap between planned and actual in-block times, ultimately enhancing airport efficiency. The comprehensive analysis of various data elements offers valuable insights for airport management and decision-makers.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2023, Human Factors in Transportation, New York, Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics International), p. 539-548), ISBN 978-1-958651-71-1

The work of an Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) involves a constantly changing mental workload and the occurrence of stressful situations to which one must react adequately. Candidates for this profession are expected to demonstrate sufficient resilience and adaptability to such situations already in the selection procedure and during the training process. However, the complexity of Air Traffic Controllers' tasks has increased dramatically in the last decades. A transformation of the ATCO training syllabus was inevitable to ensure the ability of future ATCOs to cope with this changing environment. This change has mainly become apparent in the number of practical skills a trainee has to possess even before initiating the On the Job (OJT) training. Training Organizations are constantly optimizing training processes to prepare a candidate able to withstand challenging situations with varying workloads.To investigate trainees' reactions to increased workload in the context of conducted errors, an experiment was organized examining 30 subjects that participated in a simulator exercise with increasing intensity. The subjects of the experiment were Department of Air Transport students with no particular experience in ATC but considerable knowledge of standards and procedures in air traffic control and familiarity with the simulation environment. It is therefore supposed that the level of skills and knowledge of the subjects are equivalent to student Air Traffic Controllers conducting the basic training. The aim of the experiment was to assess the impact of increased workload, utilizing ECG measurement, on the trainees' performance and subsequent error analyses. The increased workload is achieved by continuously increasing the difficulty of the exercises on the ATC simulator. To analyze, the ECG measurement, data, including R-R intervals, were processed by a short Fourier transform(STFT), filtered and further processed by HRVAS (in Matlab) by time-frequency analysis. Data were processed for Low and High Frequency (individual sympathetic and parasympathetic values). A stress value could be obtained by dividing these two values, which were projectedand plotted against time. Further, error analysis has been conducted, observing 12 categories of errors, including wrong phraseology, application of wrong ATC procedures, separation infringement, and loss of situational awareness. The experiment has shown that the students are prone to conduct mainly errors associated with basic procedures while with time and increasing workload, also errors connected to aircraft separation, situational awareness, and flight efficiency. The results indicate that the most common errors include failure to report aircraft/target identification, failure to confirm ATIS and QNH information for a given airport, descending below the transfer level, failure to respect airspace within vertica

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf.

2023, 2023 International Conference on Military Technologies (ICMT), Vienna, IEEE Industrial Electronic Society), ISBN 979-8-3503-2568-3

The subject of this research is the development of ducted propulsion systems as replacements for traditional propeller propulsion systems intended for unmanned aircraft (UA). With the increasing number of operating UA and level of their automation, new possibilities for using UA in a number of applications are emerging. According to current legislation, one of the main limitations of the use of UA to date is the insufficient safety of UA operations over populated areas. Current UA equipped with propeller drive units do not achieve the required safety due to the rotating propeller blades. Ducted propulsion systems eliminate this shortcoming and provide other advantages that find their place mainly in conditions with space limitations. It is therefore necessary to find an optimal solution to these urban traffic problems. It is thus offered as a safety solution when operating in shared spaces near non-involved persons. The proposed specifications in this study are tested and the data subsequently compared with selected reference propeller drives from the point of view of energy consumption and generated thrust value. The aim of this study is to propose an optimal operational specification of the EDPS engine, suitable for UA operation from the point of view of better energy consumption and generated thrust compared to propellant systems. The results of the study prove that EDPS propulsion systems generate more thrust with lower total energy consumption than conventional propeller systems.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2023, 2023 IEEE/AIAA 42nd Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC), Piscataway, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), ISBN 979-8-3503-3357-2, ISSN 2155-7209

Initial flight training is a new type of space movement for a future pilot. The pilot adapts to the new movement during the first flights, but this process may be accompanied by phenomena such as fatigue, performance degradation, or nausea. In the Czech Air Force environment, future pilots are prepared at the University of Defence, where they undergo flight training during their second year. Prior to this, they use a range of equipment for physical training on which it is possible to derive angular and linear accelerations similar to those experienced by a pilot in flight. The aim of this paper is to analyze and compare selected devices available at the University of Defence, Brno, based on a questionnaire survey on the manifestations of Motion Sickness. The Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ) was used for this investigation. 11 students performed three exercises in the first part: gymnastics obstacle course, human gyroscope, and 360° swing. The students self-assessed their manifestations in the form of the MSAQ. In the second part, the instructors assessed the manifestations of motion sickness during flight training in relation to the pilot’s performance decline. Questionnaire data were analyzed using Friedman’s test, and post-hoc multicompare analysis was performed in case of differences between exercises. The results showed that the significant differences between the three types of exercises lie mainly in their influence on factors such as sweating, feeling dizzy, fatigue, feeling of rotation, restlessness, blurred vision, and feeling weak. No significant differences were found in the other 11 items. Each of the tested exercises had its specifics; when appropriately combined, they have the potential to prepare future pilots also due to their availability before the start of flight training.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2022, 2022 New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD), Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), p. 76-80), ISBN 979-8-3503-2036-7

Negative factors affecting the flight safety need to be counteracted by measures based on an understanding of the nature of the problem. Due to the fact that visual illusions are considered a factor capable of endangering the safety of the crew and passengers, it is necessary to understand the mechanics of their creation. Therefore, this paper focuses on the device able to induce specific visual illusion by the means of moving perspective that could be used as a support during the efforts to understand the mechanism of such illusions. The mirror system with variable speed of movement is designed to induce a change of perspective and thus postural destabilization of the subject. Proposed device was tested in the experiment involving postural stability measurements in the form of centre of pressure monitoring using the balance board as the indicators of sucesfull illusion induction. The results does not confirm the ilussion induction. However, the effect of mirror movement direction is observed.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2022, 2022 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA), Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 109-114), ISBN 978-1-6654-5190-1

Eye tracking is an effective method of observing human-machine interactions. There is a rapidly growing demand for lightweight eye trackers and live data analysis. In this project, a wearable device was designed by attaching existing eye tracking cameras to a new glasses frame. The device was tested in the cockpit of a Cessna 182 with the aim of automatically recognizing individual instruments and highlighting the point of gaze. Software for both real-time and post hoc areas of interest recognition was developed. A machine learning algorithm built a model based on one thousand randomly chosen frames with manually identified instruments. Additional five hundred frames were used to test the model. The system performed very well under well-lit static conditions. In flight, the average success rate of primary flight instruments detection dropped to 0.64. This is still considered acceptable performance, as the test profile included a portion of a flight into direct sunlight. The device is currently used for a pilot fatigue research project and for pilot training.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2022, 2022 New Trends in Aviation Development (NTAD), Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), p. 206-212), ISBN 979-8-3503-2036-7

Ergonomically appropriate placement of flight instruments reduces the crew’s workload and reduces the likelihood of misinterpretation of displayed information. There are established instrument layout standards adapted by aircraft manufacturers that allow pilots to more easily transition from one aircraft to another. However, in certain phases of the flight, increased attention of the crew to the external environment is required. However, the instruments are located on the dashboard and the pilot must still switch between the instruments and the view from the cockpit. This problem is partially solved by the Head-mounted display located in front of the windshield. It is thus possible to follow the displayed information while looking ahead. In this respect, the existing Head-mounted display technology could be surpassed by technology implementing augmented reality into glasses (in some cases into a helmet) as a head/helmet-mounted display. The aim of this article is therefore to design an instrument layout for head-mounted devices. An important part is the conducted pilot testing and evaluation of feedback, which was evaluated using a questionnaire survey. The results point to the possibilities of flight information presentation, which could be configured within the possibilities of the available software and at the same time meet the ergonomic concepts and requirements of the pilots.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2022, 2022 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA), Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 93-101), ISBN 978-1-6654-5190-1

Global air transport was experiencing a steady growth for decades despite various economic or political crises. However, the worldwide spread of Covid-19 and its associated travel restrictions led to an unprecedented 60 % drop in global air traffic volume according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This has had a dramatic impact on airline companies and their pilots who were suddenly unable to practice their profession. In order to return to service, they had to go through a simulator scenario aimed at restoring crucial pilot competencies. The following paper describes an experiment conducted with the goal to verify whether a simulator scenario proposed by IATA and adopted by airline companies can restore such competencies. The tailored experiment scenario involved specific flight maneuvers and precision approaches together with theoretical knowledge test. It was completed on a flight simulator with 34 pilots holding a valid type rating for Boeing 737NG. One of the results of the experiment show that the accuracy of a pilot's manual flight may not always correspond with the workload they are subjectively experiencing.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2022, 2022 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA), Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 115-122), ISBN 978-1-6654-5190-1

Vertical Take-off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (VTOL UAVs) are operated at low flight levels, close to the ground, where they are exposed to meteorological conditions, which are difficult to predict and can cause severe degradation of their aerodynamic, performance and flight characteristics. Of these meteorological conditions, icing is one of the most dangerous for the operation of VTOL UAVs. Although icing poses significant safety and operational risks, it has not yet been taken into account in their operation and there are no certified and verified anti-icing and de-icing solutions against it. The aim of this work is to propose a concept together with testing methodology, which would allow to determine the influence of individual meteorological conditions of icing on selected performance characteristics of propulsion systems of VTOLUAVs. Testing and exposure of propulsion systems to icing conditions took place in the climatic chamber. Several series of measurements were performed in the climatic chamber, in which the propulsion systems were exposed to a temperature of 15, of −5, of −10 and of −15°C and a flow of super-cooled water droplets of 1.43 g/s. The mutual comparison of the performed measurements made it possible to determine the influence of individual conditions on the decrease of the thrust, the increase of the consumed electric current and the occurrence of vibrations.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2022, Transportation Research Procedia, Amsterdam, Elsevier B.V.), p. 222-229), ISSN 2352-1457

Although illusions may be very common and dangerous, they do not receive enough attention in civil pilots training in terms of identification and experience. In contrast to military aviation, there is not any aeromedical training focused on flight illusions concerning civil aviators to this day. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine whether to implement vestibular illusion simulator training into IR (Instrument Rating) training. Subsequently, specific parts of IR training along with a particular flight profile were chosen. This was based on the design of a practical experiment, which included induction of specific illusions in various flight profiles and situations. Using spatial disorientation simulator, twenty-five instrument rating instructors were exposed to three flight profiles containing four vestibular illusions. Specifically, it was somatogravic, somatogyral, Coriolis and the leans illusion. After each flight profile, a questionnaire concerning subjective responses regarding specific illusions and flight profiles was filled. Twenty-four out of twenty-five instructors were in favour of implementing vestibular illusion simulator into IR training, either mandatory or on voluntarily basis. The potential integration phase was chosen to be the beginning part or the final part of the IR training. This could lead to an overall improvement for safety of aviation.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2022, 2022 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA), Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 205-209), ISBN 978-80-01-06985-1, ISSN 2694-7854

Due to the characteristics of their professional environment, pilots can be exposed to hypoxia. In this case, hypoxia is caused by a low partial oxygen pressure, which results in inferior oxygen saturation and transport ability. Altitude, the amount of time spent under hypoxic conditions, physical activity, individual response, and health conditions influence the severity of hypoxia and her symptoms. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) primarily affects the respiratory system and the disease itself causes hypoxia. Although COVID-19 influenced the entire population and caused a 2-year pandemic, all the consequences of experiencing the disease are not yet known. To find the possible impact of COVID-19 on the hypoxic state in pilots, an experiment was designed using simulated flights under simulated hypoxic conditions. Breathing activity and oxygen saturation were monitored. The results show that there is a significant difference in respiratory rate and saturation between the normoxic and hypoxic states, but the impact of the disease was not confirmed. The paper presents the concept of monitoring the effect of hypoxia on respiratory rate and oxygen saturation in both pilots who experienced and who have not experienced COVID-19 and can help expand the knowledge base for further research in this area.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2022, Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, 67 (1), p. 97-104), ISSN 1733-3490

Whereas approximately 96.3% of the steel produced worldwide is made by continuous casting, great emphasis is put on the superior efficiency of this process. The water model of the tundish and mathematical modeling is often used for the simulation of the steel flow during continuous casting. The experiments were performed on a model of the tundish with two outlets, at two casting speeds (0.8 m.s–1 and 1.2 m.s–1). Eight setups of the tundish were evaluated, which differed in the design of the dams (with or without drainage holes), in their distance from the center of the tundish, and their height. The contribution of the work is the analysis of phenomena in the tundish water model in conditions of repeatability (ten repetitions). The goal is to find the setup providing the most symmetrical flow, with the minimum difference in the residence times Δτ on the two outlets. Taking into account the results obtained at both casting speeds, the most preferred is setup 2 with the 87 mm high dams placed 587 mm from the center of tundish (Δτ = 0.5). The setup 3 (Δτ = 8.25) appears to be the least appropriate. The higher the casting speed, the higher the number of unsuitable arrangements.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2022, Transportation Research Procedia, Amsterdam, Elsevier B.V.), p. 275-282), ISSN 2352-1457

Proven by accident statistics, a tired pilot poses a threat to safe flight operations, especially in its critical phases, such as the approach to landing. In the context of the fatigue's impact on the accurate execution of the approach to landing, no research has yet been carried out to experimentally confirm/deny the impact of this factor on the pilot's performance. Therefore, this study examines the impact of fatigue on the final approach phase through a 24-hour flight simulator experiment. Eight subjects participated in the study, performing 15 instrument approaches over the time period defined above. In order to quantify the stabilised portion of the approach, a time-based approach was defined. The approach was based on identifying the portion of the approach executed in the prescribed descent region of pyramidal shape expressed in percent. The results show a link between the precision and accuracy of the instrument approach execution and the level of pilot fatigue, which can lead to unstabilised approaches that negatively affect overall safety. Therefore, the experimental setup, methodology, and results can serve as an evidence-based approach for a more concrete definition of fatigue risk management or as a knowledge base for further development of this issue.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2022, 2022 New Trends in Civil Aviation (NTCA), Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 123-128), ISBN 978-1-6654-5190-1

This article deals with experimental assessment of whether SPL holders acquire the necessary competencies for the first solo flight in a powered aircraft using only virtual reality. The experiment was performed on a sample of 10 participants who were trained using a simulator based on virtual reality. All participants succeeded in the simulator training, although differences in the length of training required were observed. This training was followed by a flight in a real airplane that consisted of 3 traffic patterns. The participants also filled out questionnaires. This subjective self-assessment was then compared with an objective assessment (flight data, instructor's comments). The outcome was 5 successful and 5 unsuccessful participants of assessment flight in the real airplane. On a sample of 10 participants, areas that are suitable for training in a virtual reality environment were identified. Results indicate that virtual reality is a suitable complement to pilot training, but it is not suitable to use as the only means of flight training.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2021, 2021 International Conference on Military Technologies (ICMT), Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), ISBN 978-1-6654-3724-0

Simulation technologies have significantly evolved in recent years. Devices providing high fidelity simulation are becoming widely available in many sectors. In transportation, simulators have proven successful in personnel training, modeling nonstandard situations and even in development and research. The primary use of simulation is still focused on educational purposes. The simulated environment provides grounds for monitoring and assessment of trainees' behavior. However, in addition to simulation technologies, other tools must be deployed. These tools record the physiological functions of the trainee and assess psychophysiological conditions. Specific events, such as a stressful situation, can be detected. Similar scientific-related activities may also lead to assessment of perception. This is a complex problem for both evaluation and data collection. Additionally, it puts specific demands on experimental equipment. The presented article describes the development of a flight simulation device that enables the evaluation of the pilots' perception. This solution is based on X-Plane flight simulation engine with virtual reality (VR) and employs eye-tracking, brain activity monitors and heart activity monitors. The cockpit has a modular design and can be adapted to several aircraft types. VR-Gloves are used to interact with actual aircraft controls such as control yoke, thrust levers and even overhead panel switches. This setup creates a real-feel concept when controlling the aircraft. The presented solution is a technology demonstrator and is being tested with aviation training scenarios.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2021, 2021 International Conference on Military Technologies (ICMT), Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), ISBN 978-1-6654-3724-0

New requirements for classifying unmanned aerial vehicles are forcing institutions as well as manufacturers to devise established procedures and methodologies for testing vehicles. A new possibility of dynamic testing of performance parameters of multicopters is offered in addition to conventional software modeling of flight characteristics and static tests in wind tunnels. This alternative is currently hampered by the problem of flight data collection. This work deals with the design of a complex measuring device specially designed for the testing of the flight characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles. The proposed modular device provides the user with a flight record containing time-synchronized data showing the linear and angular accelerations achieved by the vehicle during flight, three-axis roll, flight altitude, magnetic course, multicopter speeds, and revolutions of each power unit separately. This work further defines the conditions imposed on the type of tested multicopter (load capacity) and the subsequent need for its balancing. The output of this work is to support the experimental research of dynamic quantification of multicopter performance properties during flight.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2021, IEEE Access, 9, p. 47136-47143), ISSN 2169-3536

Therapeutic methods taking advantage of low-frequency electromagnetic fields, or in other words, electrical currents contactless-induced by time-variable magnetic fields, enjoy an ever-growing interest in rehabilitation medicine. A great interest is paid to the question of using non-conventional techniques, such as the High Induction Magnetic Stimulation (HIMS). Based on therapeutic principles, it is possible to expect positive effects of this therapy, but this problem has not yet been considered, and thus, there are no research results supporting the HIMS application. Due to this, the target of the article presented here is to study effects of the HIMS on viscoelastic properties of skeletal muscles, since this research has till been missing. Within the framework of the present study, the HIMS was applied to 15 subjects and viscoelastic properties of the muscle were measured before and after the application. The evaluation of hysteresis curves acquired show obvious effects of the HIMS on viscoelastic muscle characteristics. After the HIMS application, the muscle tone was decreased and the elasticity of the tissue exposed was increased in the sample studied.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2021, Proceedings of the “Transport Means 2021”, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 609-615), ISSN 1822-296X

Due to the characteristics of their profession, pilots are often exposed to fatigue. Irregular shifts, night flights, prolonged wakefulness, crossing multiple time zones and associated circadian rhythm disruptions are just some of the factors contributing to pilot fatigue. As a result of fatigue, cognitive and motor functions are affected, which could lead to reduced performance. If an emergency situation occurs when the pilot is fatigued, it may limit its correct and successful resolution, as evidenced by the accidents to which fatigue was a contributing factor. For these reasons, attention is paid to fatigue in aviation. Many of the negative effects that fatigue has on aircraft crew performance are now known, but the overall impact of fatigue is often underestimated. This is due to a low knowledge of the complexity of the effects of fatigue, as data are collected in the form of individual testimonies of crew members, and therefore the application of this subjective data to the entire population is inaccurate and can lead to errors. One of the characteristics that are affected by fatigue is motor skills. The pilot's movement in the cockpit is severely limited. Most of the physical activity is performed by the upper limbs and head, more precisely the eyes. Compared to the upper limbs, the load on the lower limbs during standard flight is much lower, as the pilot operates not only the control element for deflecting the control surfaces with the upper limbs, but also other on-board instruments....

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2021, Proceedings of the “Transport Means 2021”, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 715-720), ISSN 1822-296X

Presented article deals with the problematics of operation on more than one type under air operator certificate operations. Multi-type operations have always been often discussed. It is a subject where two fundamental aspects of commercial aviation come into a clash. On one side, the financial requirements of operators always strive to lower operating costs. Thus, an increase in the flexibility of flight crew planning and the lowering of crew training costs can be a strategic win for the company. On the other side lie the safety requirements laid down by the controlling authorities, which play a significant role in protecting the passengers, people on the ground, and the crew. The text focuses on the legislative, operative, and safety problems tied with operations on more than one type. Basic operational restrictions and procedures are laid down according to the European regulations. This article considers the two types for multi-type operations: the Cessna Citation Model 680 Sovereign and Model 700 Longitude. These aircraft belong to the same category of mid-size business jets and remarkably similar in dimensions, performance, and cabin configuration. It is thanks to these similarities that these two types seem to be ideal candidates for multi-type operations. The differences of both aircraft will be examined and analyzed. The safety study is based on the differences observed between the two types. The safety study identifies and evaluates individual hazards and risks of multi-type operations on the C680 and C700. The methodology and process used for the safety study are based on the operator's safety management manual. Operational restrictions and procedures are defined. Among these restrictions, we can find crew planning restrictions, standard operating procedures for the flight crew, and a syllabus draft for additional differential training on both types. The text also suggests procedures for continual safety monitoring during operations on more than one type.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2021

Cílem projektu bylo vytvoření konceptu měření, analýzy a vyhodnocení psychofyziologické kondice pilotů jako potenciálního indikátoru selhání v závěrečné fázi přiblížení a přistání na letišti, s hlavním ohledem na analýzu variability srdečního rytmu, kvantifikaci EEG a modelování vizuální percepce. Koncept cílil na zvyšování bezpečnosti letecké dopravy tím, že umožní vyhodnocení psychofyziologické kondice a kognitivních schopností posádky ve fázi letu, která patří mezi nejrizikovější a nejvíce náchylné na nedostatky leteckého personálu. Dosažení konceptu umožní další zlepšování úrovně provozní bezpečnosti v letectví pomocí snížení rizika souvisejícího s jednotlivými úkony při přistání na letišti. Pro tyto účely byl vytvořen simulátor, který je schopen prostřednictvím virtuální reality simulovat let se společným sledováním pohybu očí ve scéně a sběr fyziologických dat. Výzkumná zpráva ukazuje na aktivity spojené s realizací tohoto zařízení, předzpracování zaznamenaných dat/signálů, jejich význam, způsob interpretace těchto dat a v neposlední řadě nastavení experimentálních měření a jejich evaluaci. Projekt probíhal od 06/2019 do 05/2021. V rámci řešení projektu vzhledem k pandemii Covid-19 neměl řešitelský tým kontinuální přístup na pracoviště a nebylo tak možné realizovat některé aktivity v plném, zamýšleném rozsahu. Tato situace trvala od 03/2020 do 03/2021 a dopadla především na měření zahrnující lidské subjekty, jejichž realizace nebyla možná vůbec nebo za velmi omezených podmínek. I přes uvedené problémy, vynaložil řešitelský tým značné úsilí pro úspěšné ukončení projektu a splnění všech závazků s ním spojených.

Oponovaná výzkumná zpráva v češtině

2020, 2020 New Trends in Civil Aviation, Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), p. 117-121), ISBN 978-80-01-06726-0, ISSN 2694-7854

The article deals with the factors contributing to the emergence of a visual illusion, the so-called black hole approach. Among all the visual illusions that can jeopardize the course of a flight in its particular phases, this illusion is quite specific. This illusion arises in cases of visual approach at night. The risks of this illusion, such as hitting the terrain, are known. However, the causes of this illusion and other influencing factors that may result in this illusion are not sufficiently investigated. Therefore, a systematic review was performed in order to summarize the existing knowledge on this issue. The results show that in the case of black hole approach, only basic research is carried out worldwide and there is a lack of studies. However, the studies carried out partially confirm the well-known hypotheses about the origin of this illusion.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2020, Applied Sciences, 10 (2), ISSN 2076-3417

Modern approaches to physical therapy often use electric currents induced by time-varying magnetic fields. Although some of these methods are already commonly used, and only a few studies are looking at applying particular techniques on exposed tissue. In this study, a high-induction magnetic stimulation (HIMS) was applied to the chest area to affect the electrical conduction system of the heart. The animal model Sus scrofa domesticus was used for the study. Standard methods were used to make the subsequent analysis, i.e., heart rate variability in time and frequency domain. Concerning the nonlinear character of the electrocardiographic signal and evaluating complex variability (complexity), recurrent quantification analysis was used. The results show high resistance to a physiologically working heart, but there are also specific changes concerning complex variability. Thus, the results indicate that the HIMS application in the chest area may not pose a significant risk to healthy individuals in terms of the short-term effect of this technique on cardiac activity. However, cardiac activity is still, to some extent, affected by the HIMS application. In view of this and the fact that the study was conducted on an animal model, further research in this area would be appropriate.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2020, Transportation Research Procedia, Linz, Elsevier BV), p. 252-260), ISSN 2352-1465

There is a great emphasis on safety in the field of aviation. Advanced technologies open new possibilities and allow objective measurements of specific safety factors. One of these factors is undoubtedly human performance which is already a significant element within a training of aviation personnel. The area of the highest interest is focused on pilot training. The aim of this study is to examine whether a specific psychological training can be considered as a positive performance influencing factor. Subjects underwent an experimental training schedule which was designed for the purpose of this study. Subjects were divided into control (n=20) and experimental (n=20) groups. The experimental group underwent Jacobson progressive relaxation psychological training. Both groups were evaluated during the experimental training schedule; accuracy and precision of piloting was measured during the second and eleventh hour of training. This study focused on basic flight maneuvers, i.e. straight and level flight, 360° horizontal turn with 30° bank and 180° climbing/descending turn with 15° bank and vertical speed of ± 500 ft/min. For the purpose of maneuver identification, Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise algorithm was used. Each maneuver was evaluated for precision and accuracy and at the same time and used for a performance comparison between groups. Paired and between subject statistical testing were performed using appropriate statistical methods at the level of significance p<0.05. The results indicated that the implemented psychological training did not affect the performance of pilots in terms of precision and accuracy.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2020, Biomedical Engineering - Biomedizinische Technik, 65 (4), p. 469-476), ISSN 0013-5585

The present study aimed to evaluate the characteristic influence of physical therapeutic procedures of vacuum-compression therapy (VCT) on microvascular perfusion (MiP) and macrovascular perfusion (MaP) of the lower limb in diabetic patients. A sample of nine patients with a medical history of type 2 diabetes was used for the purpose of this study. Most of the subjects' medical conditions included venous and neurological complications of the lower limb, whereas the rest of the subjects entered the treatment due to injury recovery or their phlebological disease. The PeriFlux System 5000 (Perimed, Sweden) diagnostic device was used to measure MiP. The MaP was evaluated based on the perfusion index (PI) using the Extremiter monitoring device (Embitron, Czech Republic) designed to perform VCT procedures. The study found that MiP and MaP increase as an effect of VCT procedures and at the same time PI clearly reflects the effect of the applied vacuum and compression phases, verifying the method's vital influence on peripheral perfusion disorders.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2020, Applied Sciences, 10 (15), ISSN 2076-3417

During their professional career, pilots often experience a change in workplace conditions in the form of an aircraft cockpit ergonomics change. Change of working conditions may impact their perception of flight data or the pilot's psychophysiological condition, especially in cases of inexperienced pilots. The presented study deals with the influence of cockpit ergonomics change on the performance and pilot workload during a training course. We divided 20 subjects with no previous practical flying experience into two training groups (Gr. A and Gr. B). The flight training was focused on acquisition of basic piloting skills where both groups experienced cockpit ergonomics change in different training phases. The performance (piloting precision) was assessed based on deviations from predetermined parameters of the monitored flight manoeuvres. Heart rate variability qualified the extent of workload. The study showed the influence of the cockpit arrangement on piloting precision, where the transition to other type of cockpit ergonomics did not influence pilots' subjective workload with statistical significance.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2020, 2020 New Trends in Civil Aviation, Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), p. 135-138), ISBN 978-80-01-06726-0, ISSN 2694-7854

This paper is describing the prototype of a new patent of a Portable Reaction Time Measurement Device whose main assets in comparison to the conventional devices for the similar purposes are the portability, independence on the electrical power source, the absence of the personal computer and the immediate readiness for the usage once the device is turned on. The main contribution of this device is, that it allows to test the actual values of the reaction times at any given time and in any given situation without the necessity of the complicated hardware or software set-ups. It’s construction allows to be used in e.g. the pre-flight psycho-physiological assessment’s of the pilots directly short before the flight conduction or monitoring the daily fluctuation of the reactions readiness directly in the work environment of the concerned study subjects. The basic electrical scheme and the hardware and software components are presented. Furthermore, there was a successful experiment proposed and conducted to test the technical functionalities. Also the usability validation and comparison has been made with the positive outcomes.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2020, AIAA/IEEE Digital Avionics Systems Conference - Proceedings, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.), ISBN 9781728198255, ISSN 2155-7195

In this paper, we present a complex solution for flight data gathering, analyzation, and visualization. This solution can be used for the Competency-Based Training of pilots in general aviation. For the data gathering, we are introducing a concept of an embedded device. For data analyzation, we are introducing the approach for algorithmic detection of flight maneuvers based on the recorded flight data. There is a multiplatform software application for data visualization. We are also describing the reasons for creating such solutions and potential future uses of our hardware and software products. This paper is mostly describing the important requirements and their implementation regarding the future usage for Competency-Based Training of pilots in general aviation. We are not describing a lot of technical details to keep this paper straightforward and we are mostly focusing on passing the whole idea and benefits of our products.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2020, 2020 New Trends in Civil Aviation, Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), p. 111-116), ISBN 978-80-01-06726-0, ISSN 2694-7854

With developing efforts to increase aviation safety, the focus on human factors is being emphasized as well. One of the phenomena affecting the performance of the pilot or other aviation specialists is undoubtedly the fatigue. Dangerous situations can occur, especially when fatigue accumulates. Monitoring fatigue is therefore in the interest of all stakeholders as well as the aviation authorities, which have developed Fatigue Risk Management System. In spite of the fact that the system itself at its highest level also uses the objective data, to this day, the monitoring of fatigue in aviation has mainly been based on a questionnaire survey. Although, the standardized NASA Task Load Index (NASA TLX) is often applied, it remains questionable whether such a questionnaire realistically reflects the fatigue. Based on previously mentioned, the NASA TLX was modified to focus on pilot fatigue and then applied during 24-hour measurements for the purposes of this paper. Eight pilots took part in the measurement, each of them performed 8 simulated flights. From the results of the questionnaire survey, a window of circadian low can be observed, in accordance with the evaluated theta/alpha parameter obtained by spectral analysis of EEG records. The results therefore indicate that such a questionnaire is able to indicate fatigue.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2020, 2020 New Trends in Civil Aviation, Praha, IEEE Czechoslovakia Section), p. 129-133), ISBN 978-80-01-06726-0, ISSN 2694-7854

In recent years, drones have experienced rapid technological development. The new EU regulations, therefore, apply to both users as well as manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles. The mentioned legislation does not yet precisely define the testing methodology and methods of required parameters of each individual category of unmanned aerial vehicles. This study pays special attention to the possibility of dynamic indoor testing of multicopters. It raises the research question of the possibility of experimental determination of the pitch angle as a partial characterisation of a vehicle in flight with manual control of a multicopter against continuous airflow. A simplified wind tunnel generated the airflow with a lamella regulator. Three 10 minute experimental flights were performed against an airflow rate of 1.45 / 2.43 / 3.42 m/s. The task of an experienced pilot was to keep the multicopter in the middle of the airflow during hover manoeuvre. The flight data of the multicopter were recorded by an inertial motion capture (MoCap) system Inertia ProMove in the form of a quaternion and linear accelerations. The results of the study do not show an increase in the median value of the pitch angle of the quadcopter when manually maintaining the hover against the airflow rate in the wind tunnels. On the contrary, as expected, the correlation of the pitch quadcopter and forward linear acceleration was demonstrated. This pilot study presents a possible methodology for indoor testing of a partial aspect of the flight characteristics while drawing attention to the problem of such dynamic testing.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2020, Transportation Research Procedia, Linz, Elsevier BV), p. 243-251), ISSN 2352-1465

Air traffic controllers (ATCOs) are exposed to high workload even during routine operations. Their job carries a lot of responsibility and consists of complex tasks. In order to enhance high safety standards, a systematic evaluation of workload levels is required. This study explores an objective measurement of workload. Heart activity of ATCOs was monitored in order to indicate psychological status of ATCOs while being exposed to different levels of workload - in terms of changing traffic loads and airspace complexity. A standard method was used for the evaluation of heart activity. This method includes the frequency analysis in context of heart rate variability; time intervals of consecutive R waves in the heart activity record are assessed. The evaluation of the ratio of power in the low-frequency and high-frequency bands (indicator of sympathovagal balance) as well as parameters derived from fluctuation analysis were used. The results indicated that parameters of heart rate variability based on spectral analysis were significant in case of workload evaluation.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2019, TRANSPORT PROBLEMS, 14 (2), p. 55-67), ISSN 1896-0596

Presented work is primarily oriented on the experimental verification of the influence of fatigue on the psychological condition of the flying personnel, using psychological and performance tests. For the evaluation of a pilot performance, the 24 hours experiment was conducted. In total, eight subjects participated in the experimental measurements. Eight participants went through several tests, including simulator flights, to investigate the effects of the fatigue on the results of psychological measurements. Measurements included workload evaluation, using NASA task load evaluation concept and performance testing, using the so-called OR-test. Significant statistical differences between measurements performed during 24 hours were not found in the case of NASA task load Scores. In the case of OR-test, Friedman ANOVA and subsequent post-hoc analysis show that the greatest decrease in performance was observed in approximately 22 hours of wakefulness, i.e. approximately in half of the measuring process. The concept of 24-hour measurements for the quantification of fatigue is not commonly used yet as well as objectivization using performance testing. As the apparent effect of fatigue is mainly on performance testing results, it can be argued that this work could serve as a basis for further studies on fatigue. Also, it could serve as a support for introducing new pilots' psychological testing procedures in the future, which could contribute to current efforts to improve aviation safety.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném databází Scopus

2019, 2019 Konference - 25 let Fakulty dopravní, Praha, České vysoké učení technické v Praze), p. 72-74), ISBN 978-80-01-06545-7

Předložený článek představuje Laboratoř lidského faktoru a automatizace v letectví, která je jedním z vědeckých pracovišť na Ústavu letecké dopravy, FD ČVUT v Praze. Studium lidského faktoru v letectví je ve vědecké komunitě známé již několik dekád. Neustálý technický pokrok a výzkum v této oblasti však stále přináší nové otázky a výzvy. Laboratoř má snahu monitorovat nové trendy v diskutované oblasti a zapojovat se do výzkumných aktivit reflektujících současné požadavky ne jen na letecký personál. Článek stručně popisuje nejvýznamnější výzkumné aktivity laboratoře spolu s navázanými spolupracemi.

Stať ve sborníku z fakultní konference česky

2019, TRANSPORT MEANS 2019 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23rd INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 835-840), ISSN 1822-296X

During the flight, pilots are influenced by surrounding stimuli such as environment, gravity, mental state, et cetera, which may affect (in a negative way) the safety of flight. Standard evaluation methods of physiological parameters are used to monitor the pilot's state. The most commonly monitored and evaluated parameter is heart rate because it reflects the regulation of the autonomic nervous system. Based on the knowledge of evaluation of time series consisting of time intervals between two consecutive heartbeats, the spectrum analysis is used in specific frequency bands. Inter alia, such time series are evaluated in a time domain, or by nonlinear methods. Standard spectrum analysis or other nonlinear methods, however, do not contain time information. In other words, it is necessary to apply these analyses on time windows gradually scanning received signal which limits using these methods for real-time evaluation of the psychophysiological condition. This paper discusses the Wavelet Transform being it a method for processing the heart rate variability as it is/seems a perspective method for online monitoring of pilots' psychophysiological state. Measurement of subjects was conducted on a flight simulator and in the aircraft as well. Obtained knowledge might positively affect monitoring pilots in training by adjusting the training according to their specific needs.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2019, Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Military Technologies, Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), ISBN 978-1-7281-4593-8

Presented article focuses on support and creating of supporting indicators for Evidence-Based Training, Specific orientation lays on assessment of pilot’s performance and heart rate assessment that may indicate psychophysiological condition of pilot. Method of experimental measurements included two groups (Gr. A and Gr. B) of ten subjects that completed simulator training and flight training on real airplane. Influencing factor for transition from analogue to glass cockpit layout was implemented for both groups where one group completed preparation for the transition (Gr. B) and the other did not (Gr. A). Results demonstrate that precision of piloting technique during final phase of training raised within Gr. B compare to Gr. A, however, rANOVA tests revealed that mean heart rate was almost same for both groups across the training phases. In addition to these facts, significant correlation was detected between subjective and exact assessment of pilot precision which together with other presented results represents the fact that pilot performance assessment could be done mainly by monitoring of pilot precision and correctness of performed lessons and manoeuvres. Presented research brings another possibilities for development of pilot training as well as to data-driven training.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2019, TRANSPORT MEANS 2019 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23rd INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 696-701), ISSN 1822-296X

A key to achieving a high and stable level of aviation safety is keeping the required performance of aviation personnel on the highest possible level. It's commonly known that an intense amount of stress characterizes aviation professions which eventually results in affecting the employee's performance. The objectification and optimization of a workload concerning the environmental and ergonomic factors are being subjected to research. Some of the approaches take into account also psychological training of which actual effectivity hasn't yet been proven and thus, is not much supported. In this context, this paper examines so-called relaxation techniques as a form of increasing mental resilience in pilots. Myriad of relaxation techniques are used to release the tension and lower the workload. A selected combination of psychotherapeutic and physiological methods, specifically autosuggestion and affirmation techniques, Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation method and intentional breathing exercises, was selected for the purpose of this study. A change in the physiological parameters record and a level of error rate in the piloting technique was compared within subject groups in flight training, one without a previous practice of selected relaxation technique and two that underwent the relaxation training.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2019, ISBN 978-80-907724-0-3

Sborník z mezinár. konf. cizojazyčně

2019, TRANSPORT MEANS 2019 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23rd INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 1197-1202), ISSN 1822-296X

Since the beginning, aviation has been exposed to the risk of threats of unlawful acts, such as attacks, hijacks, or bomb attacks. The priority of current safety systems is to eliminate the risk of possible unlawful acts to critical infrastructure. However, tightening the net of security checks has a downside - individuals or organizations execute the act of violence even before the baggage security check done by mainstream spectroscopic methods. Thus, airport terminals with large crowd concentration are becoming a perfect target for terrorists to attack. A factor contributing to forming a crowd is a thorough, time-consuming security check. In a short time, the crowd concentration rapidly increases in an unsecured perimeter and as such, is an easy target. Man-made explosives, as well as several military, industry or difficult to access, have a common component - ammonia. Bombs could be made by various forms of ammonia, like ammonium nitrate, chloraminȩ or a compound of ammonia and aluminum oxide. For that reason, the detection of ammonia present in airports becomes a frequently discussed topic among aviation security experts. The paper aims to create a concept of the sensory network able to monitor in 2D or localize a source of ammonia trace elements. The proposed idea is intended to use in airports, but the concept is also applicable in places where a noninvasive and contact-less passenger or baggage security check is needed.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2019, SAMI 2019 IEEE 17th World Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics - PROCEEDINGS, Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), p. 181-186), ISBN 978-1-7281-0250-4

This study presents the issue of fatigue and its quantification by the means of psychophysiological indicators. For the purpose of the study, 24 hours experiment was proposed consisting of eight about an hour long simulated IFR flights. Eight students of the Department of Air Transport, Faculty of Transportation Sciences, Czech Technical University in Prague participated in the study, all with comparable theoretical and practical skills. During individual flights, ECG curve was recorded as a heart activity signal. From the ECG signal, individual RR intervals were extracted and subsequently an analysis in three areas was performed: time and frequency analysis and analysis by the means of Pointcaré plot. The acquired data were statistically evaluated and compared. Based on Friedman ANOVA and subsequent post-hoc analysis, statistically significant differences between first and sixth measurement were identified, which corresponded to the circadian low. It is also possible to claim that Pointcaré plot appears as a suitable means for fatigue quantification.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2019, 42nd International Conference on Telecommunications and Signal Processing, Brno, VUT v Brně, Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií), p. 332-337), ISBN 978-1-7281-1864-2

Modern physical therapy could be conducted in many ways. Some of them are based on methods using the biophysical stimulation with a time-varying magnetic field. Although there are many devices functioning on this principle, the effect of the magnetic field remains arguable. Nowadays, the trend is to use low-frequency electromagnetic fields which allow an induced electric current to form in the exposed tissue. However, the use of such magnetic fields is associated with certain risks. It is questionable whether the application of such magnetic fields in certain locations might affect physiological electrical activity concerning the fact that the electrical current is generated in the tissue. For this reason, this paper aimed to monitor the effect of high-induction magnetic stimulation in an area where the electrical conduction system of the heart could be affected. Although no pathological signs in the ECG record were observed by the supervising physician, the results show that after the application of high-induction magnetic stimulation, the variability of the heart rhythm is affected since statistically significant differences were observed in the values of parameters describing the variability, i.e. SDNN (p = 0.040) and stdHR (p = 0.004), pre and post the HIMS application.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2019, Physiological Research, 68 (4), p. 611-622), ISSN 0862-8408

Effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF EMF) on the activation of different tissue recovery processes have not yet been fully understood. The detailed quantification of LF EMF effects on the angiogenesis were analysed in our experiments by using cultured human and mouse endothelial cells. Two types of fields were used in the tests as follows: the LF EMF with rectangular pulses, 340-microsecond mode at a frequency of 72 Hz and peak intensity 4 mT, and the LF EMF with sinusoidal alternating waveform 5 000 Hz, amplitude-modulated by means of a special interference spectrum mode set to a frequency linear sweep from 1 to 100 Hz for 6 s and from 100 Hz to 1 Hz return also for 6 s, swing period of 12 second. Basic parameters of cultured cells measured after the LF EMF stimulus were viability and proliferation acceleration. Both types of endothelial cells (mouse and human ones) displayed significant changes in the proliferation after the application of the LF EMF under conditions of a rectangular pulse mode. Based on the results, another test of the stimulation on a more complex endothelial-fibroblast coculture model will be the future step of the investigation.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2019, Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Military Technologies, Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), ISBN 978-1-7281-4593-8

The aim of the article is to present a software design for the design and adaptation of flight routes and spaces, or respectively, of the Air Traffic Control sectors. Presented system uses the means of virtual and augmented reality. The functional and non-functional requirements that led to the software design of the introduced system were defined. Functionality has been verified by a partial implementation in C# language. With regard to real visualization in 3D, the future use of the system in air traffic control training is intended. There are also several visions of the future that could fairly change the air traffic control rules. Therefore, it is also intended to make the system flexible enough to be expanded for further applications.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2018, New Trends in Civil Aviation, Leiden, CRC Press/Balkema), p. 15-19), ISBN 978-0-8153-7602-6

Currently, the most erroneous element during the flight operation is a human. Regarding to continuous efforts spent on increase of the air transport safety level, a greater attention is now focused on human factors and comprehension of the factors having a negative impact on pilots and other crew members. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the fatigue effect on pilot performance during at least 24-hour measurements. The whole measurement consisted of two-hour time blocks, during which the pilot was flying, then the reaction time was measured and at the end psychological tests were conducted. The reaction time was chosen as an indicator of short-term performance. The study involved 4 pilots (men aged 21–27 years) with a given pre-flight regime. The results show that even though the pilots experienced a gradual fatigue during the measurements, it did not manifest in reaction times measurements. It can be stated, that despite the fatigue, the pilots are able to maintain short-term attention and maintain constant performance.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2018, Young Transportation Engineers Conference 2018, Praha, Fakulta dopravní), ISBN 978-80-01-06464-1

Advisory procedures are meant to be simple operation procedures based on the use of GNSS when flying under VFR, without degrading flight safety. To prove that procedural steps or predetermined manoeuvres are beneficial for pilots, it´s done underwent a series of testing. It was used observation of physiology parameters to obtain quantitative values of the level of psychical condition on testing subjects during VFR flight on simulator with and without GNSS in use, to determine if proper usage of GNSS decreases workload of pilots. The study was attended by 9 students of the Department of Air Transport, CTU in Prague, Faculty of Transportation Sciences. The measured data was collected in the form of bio signals using the VLV-LAB system. For the purposes of evaluating the psychophysiological status of the pilots, a heart rate record was chosen as the main indicator – heart rate variability (HRV), i.e. duration of each R-R interval. Measured data was evaluated by standard methods in the time domain. All measured subjects had a decrease (meanHR), respectively increase (meanRR) of given parameters in with-GPS measurements compared to without-GPS measurements.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf. cizojazyčně

2018, Proceedings of New Trends in Aviation Development 2018. The XIII. International Scientific Conference, Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), p. 82-86), ISBN 978-1-5386-7918-0

Ever-changing situation in the aviation demands a change in flight training programs that would reflect present needs and threats in contrary to the traditional training that didn’t changed much for decades. Therefore, new alternative training concepts have been developed that cover these needs. However, these concepts do not apply to initial training which seem to be a crucial phase of a pilot training. Thus, the aim was to create a software solution that would identify individual flight maneuvers and evaluate them so that the overall evaluation would be done by considering objective evaluation and flight instructors’ subjective expertise. A study was done with strictly given flight schedules. For the purpose of automatic maneuver detection, density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise – DBSCAN clustering algorithm was used, which could determine maneuvers and thus exclude the noise from clusters of maneuvers. The results indicate that the proposed solution was able to identify the prescribed maneuvers with high sensitivity. The solution could be extended in the future to identify all flight maneuvers considering as many parameters from flight data recorder as possible and thus carry out complete objectively based pilot performance evaluation.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2018, TRANSPORT MEANS 2018 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22nd INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 580-584), ISSN 1822-296X

At present, the concept of reaction time measurement is used as one of the methods of psychological testing. Its usage spectrum, however, covers rehabilitation medicine, neurosciences and similar. Available systems used to measure reaction time deal with complex reaction time, i.e. the time between generating the stimuli and respective reaction via effector. Typical limitation is the design of these devices, which usually fits specific application, but it is not reusable for other applications. The goal of this paper is to introduce concept of device measuring reaction time of both upper and lower limbs, to visual or acoustic stimuli. Design of the device allows for application independence, i.e. it is reusable for wide range of different applications. This independence is supported by open software platform, including base set of testing tasks. In case of measurement of upper limb reaction time, the device allows measurement of individual components of the reaction time, opening new capabilities for deeper understanding of human sensory systems with respect to the speed of reaction to external stimuli.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2018, Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2018, p. 1-8), ISSN 2040-2295

Nowadays, a high-induction magnetic stimulation is starting to be increasingly applied as a biophysical stimulation in the conservative treatment of the degenerative locomotor system diseases. These are mainly in correlation with the changes in soft tissue elasticity, which should be positively influenced by the flow-induced electrical currents of high current density during high-induction magnetic stimulation. This assumption was verified within the interventional and prospective study using the ultrasound elastography. The group consisted of 6 volunteers, whose elasticity of the patellar tendons was measured using the 2D shear-wave ultrasound elastography. The volunteers were then exposed to a 20-minute high-induction magnetic stimulation session with a frequency of 20 Hz, in 2 s package intervals, with a 5 s pause, and a induced electric current density of 100Am^-2 in the tendons area. A tendon tension was measured five times for all volunteers, where mean tension at the marked area of the tendon, as well as the highest point tension indicated by the Q-Box, was monitored. The measurement results show that high-induction magnetic stimulation has an influence on the patellar tendon tension change, which occurred in the case of all involved volunteers when the patellar tension was decreased.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2018, New Trends in Process Control and Production management, London, CRC Press), p. 463-469), ISBN 978-1-138-05885-9

Flight simulators are recently becoming an important part of pilot training. The integration of flight simulators into aviators’ trainings marked a significant shift in pilot training methods. Nevertheless, flight simulators are still rarely used in initial pilot trainings, e.g. when obtaining personal pilot licence or ultralight pilot licence. The incorporation of simulation technologies into this kind of trainings has the potential of enhancing the acquisition of correct skills and procedures while increasing the number of flight hours, and potentially reducing training costs when compared to real flights. The major part of the submitted article therefore aims at the evaluation of efficiency of the use of flight simulators in practicing basic piloting techniques. Training progress of a sample of pilots undergoing a training at a flight simulator was examined in order to set an optimum training duration. The examined parameters were piloting precision and psychophysiological condition of pilots. In regard to the estimation of the optimum training duration, financial efficiency of the use of flight simulators was evaluated with the main emphasis on the so called 3E principle. The results show that an effective duration of pilot trainings using flight simulators is 11 training hours, with the major objective of acquiring basic piloting techniques. The results also suggest that increasing the requirements for initial pilot training by a mandatory flight simulator exercises as a part of the training would create business opportunity of operating such training devices. Based on the performed calculations it was concluded that pursuit of business of operating flight simulators may prove beneficial considering the economy, safety as well as the actual education.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf.

2018, TRANSPORT MEANS 2018 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22nd INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, Kaunas, Kaunas University of Technology), p. 1379-1382), ISSN 1822-296X

The purpose of this article is to explain and evaluate the issue of Cost Index, a useful tool used by air carriers aiming to reduce fuel cost and reach effective time management. Individual chapters explain the essence of the abovementioned term, its mathematical expression and factors which have a direct impact and also an influence of the parameters on air operators' economy.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2018, ISBN 978-0-8153-7602-6

Sborník z mezinár. konf.

2018, MAD - Magazine of Aviation Development, 6 (4), p. 12-18), ISSN 1805-7578

Due to increasing safety standards in air transport, the emphasis is put on human factors in this domain. This regards especially the improvement of piloting precision during flight training and the elimination of internal and external influences with negative effect on pilots. This paper is focused on evaluation of pilot’s psychophysiological state during flight training on a simulator and in an aircraft and also on pilot’s reaction on transfer from analogue to digital visual presentation of avionic data. The best indicator for evaluating human’s psychophysiological condition could be a heart rate because of its descriptive activity of human heart and its psychophysiological character based on sympathovagal balance of autonomic nervous system. In this paper heart rate frequency is measured by FlexiGuard biotelemetry mobile device and by a Garmin c chest belt. This paper is oriented towards description and comparison of the most common methods for physiological parameters assessment, i.e. time and frequency domain analysis and non-parametric methods analysis. The paper also describes a wavelet transform. The results show that not every parameter resulting from each analysis could be a good indicator describing pilot’s stress. Results also show which parameters might work as good indicators of pilot’s stress – those are LF/HF ratio and parameters measured by wavelet transform. Best way to define pilot’s stress on simulators in real time indicates to be wavelet.

Článek v odborném recenzovaném periodiku cizojazyčně

2018, New Trends in Civil Aviation, Leiden, CRC Press/Balkema), p. 21-24), ISBN 978-0-8153-7602-6

Reaction time monitoring is currently routine in medicine and psychological practice. Monitoring of human reflexes concerning rapidly changing external visual stimuli in means of transport is one of the basic research activities in transportation sciences. These activities allow transfer of knowledge and innovations into practice. Human factors, especially in the aviation, can lead to significant fatalities. Selection of suitable candidates to perform such psychologically demanding occupation requires utilization of new testing tools and procedures. The basic idea to develop a device to measure reaction time was to offer suitable tool to physicians and research workers to explore human sensomotorics. The paper describes development of a new device to measure reaction time.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2018, Proceedings of New Trends in Aviation Development 2018. The XIII. International Scientific Conference, Prague, Czechoslovakia Section IEEE), p. 137-143), ISBN 978-1-5386-7918-0

The article deals with the issue of risk management and opportunities in the context of the ISO 31000 standard. The methodology of applying the requirements of the standard in question is applied to the aircraft handling process. As a result, on the basis of the defined process, the creation of a register of stakeholders, a register of internal and external impacts, and a register of risks and opportunities. This process applied to the aircraft clearance process can be devoted to any process in accordance with the organization's requirements for applying risk management and opportunities.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2018, Young Transportation Engineers Conference 2018, Praha, Fakulta dopravní), ISBN 978-80-01-06464-1

One of the priority tasks of contemporary security systems is to eliminate risks of unlawful acts related to terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure. Airports, among other things, are part of this infrastructure. Pre-screening of passenger’s baggage chemical composition during entrance into an airport hall, with no need for slowing down of passenger flow or raising suspicion in potential perpetrator of unlawful act during the check process, could eliminate number of casualties of such attacks. Traces of ammonia present in almost every type of explosives provide one of the possibilities to separate suspicious baggage and persons from the rest of passengers. The goal of this work is thus creation of a sensory network concept capable of 2D monitoring or localization of the ammonia traces source in space. Such system could find its application also in rail or bus transportation.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf. cizojazyčně

2018, New Trends in Civil Aviation, Leiden, CRC Press/Balkema), p. 261-266), ISBN 978-0-8153-7602-6

In practice, inexperienced pilots tend to excessively manipulate the aircraft control stick when attempting to direct an aircraft into a desired attitude. This causes piloting inaccuracies, which may lead to undesired flight situations. The objective of this paper was to identify the relationship between accuracy, or more precisely piloting error rate, and the physical activity of the pilot’s upper limb. Effort was also made to prove the fact that inaccurate upper limb input can be detected by means of values measured by an accelerometer. The evaluation was performed with 10 subjects during flight training with the main focus on evaluating the error rate during execution of climbing and descent 180° turn. The measurements were made on TRD40 flight simulator, evaluated by the proposed methodology of processing accelerometer data, and subsequently compared with real error rates calculated from flight data. The results confirmed a correlation between error rates inferred from flight data and error rates determined based on the accelerometer data. Because the research conducted in the domain is a pilot study, the results provide opportunities for discussion and possibilities of further research.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2017

Výstupem je soubor technických možností, koncepčních prvků dle současné teorie a zdrojů provozních dat, které jsou použity jako vstup do modelovací části projektu.

Výzkumná zpráva v češtině

2017, Proceedings of the 2017 International Conference on Military Technologies (ICMT), Brno, Ministerstvo obrany, Univerzita obrany), p. 500-506), ISBN 978-1-5386-1988-9

At present, several studies exist describing the relevance of human factor in air transport with main focus on pilots and flight safety. Within such studies, monitoring of physiological functions is used. There are lot of physiological parameters and methods of their assessment; however, they are mostly based on principles originating from clinical practice. Yet, sensitivity and specificity of these methods with regard to assessment of aviation professionals - pilots is unknown. Therefore, this paper is oriented towards description of the most common methods for physiological parameters assessment. The paper also describes evaluation methods, which are on experimental level in terms of physiological data evaluation, namely recurrent quantification analysis. Within the research carried out, sample group of pilots was subjected to measurement for evaluation of their psychophysiological condition and performance. Selected evaluation methods were applied on the collected data and importance of those parameters and methods, which provided best classification for level of psychophysiological stress, was evaluated by means of statistical analyses. The results indicate that the most important physiological parameter for psychophysiological condition assessment of pilots is heart electrical activity where the possibility to perform signal processing whilst preserving its importance is provided by linear methods in the time and frequency domain, or alternatively by non-linear methods utilizing recurrent quantification analysis.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf. (Scopus)

2017, Acta Avionica, 19 (1), ISSN 1335-9479

The article deals with the issue of communication types, their knowledge and their importance in aviation as well as in other parts of life. All people react to outer circumstances in a different way. At the same time, we all do not communicate in the same way, because our inner life is different too. Based on that, at the Faculty of Aviation we were investigating the dominance of communication types by means of a questionnaire survey, in the scope of the study programmes Professional pilot, Air traffic controller and Air traffic management. The questionnaire was designed to identify the dominant communication type of the studied individual. Four types of dominant communication types were compared across selected study fields, i.e. emotional, rational, acoustic and visual. The results show that a rational communication type prevails in the group of students of professional pilot and air traffic control field.

Článek v odborném recenzovaném periodiku

2017, MAD - Magazine of Aviation Development, 5 (1), p. 12-16), ISSN 1805-7578

The problem of environmental load is also reflected in air transport. Usage of fossil fuels, which are dominant nowadays, has a negative impact on the environment and also its resources are limited. Therefore, the article focuses on the prospective of use of other energy sources in aviation, such as alternative fuels (synthetic fuels, biofuels, alcohol, methane, hydrogen), solar energy and the use of fuel cells. Also, the paper briefly summarizes the approach of aircraft manufacturers to the use alternative sources.

Článek v odborném recenzovaném periodiku cizojazyčně

2016, International Review of Aerospace Engineering, 9 (5), p. 162-172), ISSN 1973-7459

Flight simulator utilization for basic types of pilot training is restricted by regulations. Flight simulators could contribute to improvements of training quality, especially for initial training to obtain pilot license and, last but not least, to increase flight safety. The goal of this study was to evaluate flight simulator usability for basic piloting technique training. For this purpose, piloting error rate for 35 subjects was evaluated. Within prescribed, continuous flight simulator training consisting of 11 flight hours, progress in piloting precision was monitored during four different manoeuvers. The paper further evaluates influence of the transition between simulated and real flights with regard to progress or regress of executed manoeuvers precision. The results indicate, that during basic pilot techniques training on flight simulator, continuous and statistically significant decrease of error rate during standard manoeuvers execution is achieved. For acquisition of the habits related to mastering basic piloting techniques, the current possibility to use 5 training hours on flight simulator is insufficient. Habits acquisition is noticeable first during 11th flight simulator hour. The study also indicates that the acquired flight simulator habits related to piloting precision applying basic piloting techniques are not observable during the transition to real flights.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném databází Scopus

2016, Proceedings of 20th International Conference Transport Means 2016, Kaunas, Kauno technologijos universitetas), p. 428-434), ISSN 1822-296X

Psychological discomfort or increased stress can negatively influence performing specific activities mainly concerning professions which are responsible for human lives. Such group of professionals includes aviation specialists, especially pilots. Psychophysiological state is indicated by certain physiological parameters by means of which it is possible to describe it. There is a wide range of methods for signal processing of measured physiological parameters which are, however, based on linear methods. This paper deals with application of non-linear method, the so-called recurrence quantification analysis for evaluation of psychophysiological state of pilots. For this purpose, R-R interval recording of pilots in training was conducted by the means of wearable telemetric system. Research sample consisted of 35 beginner pilots and measurements were performed during both simulated and real flights. Measured signal processing was done using standard time-series analysis (Mean R-R and SDNN) and also using recurrence quantification analysis. The results indicate that both standard and recurrence quantification analysis parameters were able to distinguish between two groups of measurements (simulated vs. real flights) at the significance level of p<0.05. Apart from that, the results indicate considerable increase of heart rate frequency and decrease in its variability during real flights.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2016

Diplomová práce

2016, Proceedings on 39th International Conference on Telecommunications and Signal Processing, Brno, Brno University of Technology), p. 365-369), ISBN 978-1-5090-1288-6, ISSN 1805-5435

Atrial fibrillation ranks among the most common heart rhythm disorders. Considering the lack of any trusted method capable of foreseeing possible recurrence of atrial fibrillation after it has been terminated, nonlinear analyses of beat-tobeat heart rate variability demonstrate promising potential. This work focuses on verifying the capability of the nonlinear methods to differentiate patients with early recurrence of atrial fibrillation from those with stable normal sinus rhythm after cardioversion. Both patients groups underwent the active-standing test involving ECG measurement. Recurrence quantification analysis was used to evaluate sequences of intervals between two consecutive heart beats. The data were derived from body surface ECG signal. The results selected those parameters capable of identification of patient groups during the initial phase of the active-standing test prior to cardioversion.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2016, Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2016, ISSN 2040-2295

Techniques to quantify postural stability usually rely on the evaluation of only two variables, that is, two coordinates of COP. However, by using three variables, that is, three components of acceleration vector, it is possible to describe human movement more precisely. For this purpose, a single three-axis accelerometer was used, making it possible to evaluate 3D movement by use of a novel method, convex polyhedron (CP), together with a traditional method, based on area of the confidence ellipse (ACE). Ten patients (Pts) with cerebellar ataxia and eleven healthy individuals of control group (CG) participated in the study. The results show a significant increase of volume of the CP (CPV) in Pts or CG standing on foam surface with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) after the EC phase. Significant difference between Pts and CG was found in all cases as well. Correlation coefficient indicates strong correlation between the CPV and ACE in most cases of patient examinations, thus confirming the possibility of quantification of postural instability by the introduced method of CPV.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném SCI Expanded

2016, MAD - Magazine of Aviation Development, 4 (20), p. 33-37), ISSN 1805-7578

Air transport development brings an increased focus on the safety of piloting. The safety conditions can be assessed by mental workload. Psychic discomfort or excessive stress on pilots can negatively influence the course of flights. Therefore it appears convenient to monitor such parameters, which represent the mental wellbeing, or discomfort of a pilot. Since physiological measurements can provide a good information about mental workload or stress, this work primarily focuses on the observation of the change in heart rate, as it is an indicator of stress during the training of pilots, using the designed modular telemetry system. Another aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of a change in the avionic data visualization. This can have an unfavorable effect on the piloting of an airplane. This work, based on the evaluation of heart rate shows, that the switch from analog visualization to glass cockpit creates increased levels of stress in pilots, which was proved for all examined subjects except one. Significant level of correlation in the heart beat rate change in subjects in the course of training was also discovered.

Článek v odborném recenzovaném periodiku cizojazyčně

2016, Conference Proceedings of the 4th International Scientific Conference „Marketing Management, Trade, Financial and Social Aspects of Business“, Košice, Podnikovohospodráska fakulta so sídlom v Košiciach, EU v Bratislave), p. 218-226), ISBN 978-80-225-4293-7

The paper deals with the issue of network marketing. It discusses the historical aspects of its origin and briefly characterizes its development. Article refers to systems, e.g. Ponzi scheme that exploited the idea of network marketing and negatively affected its expansion. The examples shown how network marketing could be used in business. Article also discuss the ethical level of the use of network marketing in business.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf.

2016, Proceedings of 20th International Conference Transport Means 2016, Kaunas, Kauno technologijos universitetas), p. 374-379), ISSN 1822-296X

One of the basic requirements to obtain pilot license is to demonstrate flying skills as to perform maneuvers and procedures with a required level of expertise. Considering the involvement of flight simulators in basic pilot trainings, one may ask how this impacts the extent of real flights necessary to acquire the required flying proficiency. This article focuses on the evaluation of precision (or error rate) of flight maneuvers performed over the course training of pilots. A sample of 35 student pilots was chosen for the study. Flight schedules and the training itself was adjusted for the purposes of this study, while the emphasis was put on the uniformity of flights and their conditions. Participants completed 11 flight hours on a flight simulator and one flight hour on the Diamond DA40 aircraft, followed by further three hours on a simulator and two flight hours in real traffic. The performed maneuvers included 180° climbing and descending turns with 30° bank at vertical velocity of 500 ft/min. During the flight hours, deviations from the requested flight parameters were recorded by the instructor. The results show that maneuver performance error ratio gradually decreases, however then significantly increases with the switch to the real aircraft compared to flight simulator, and again decreases during flights in air traffic. The findings suggest that the use of flight simulators as a tool for practicing flying skills appears reasonable, as well as that monitoring of performance precision may prove as a useful basis for adjusting the pilot training process.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2015, 38th International Conference on Telecommunications and Signal Processing, Piscataway, IEEE), p. 397-402), ISBN 978-1-4799-8498-5, ISSN 1805-5435

The article focuses on a technique of gyroscope data processing and quantifying movement patterns of upper limb during walking. Four cheap gyroscopes were used. Using a novel method based on the trajectory length obtained by plotting shoulder and elbow joint angle vs. each other, provides information for a quantification of the complex arm movement as a whole in the sagittal plane. Two parameters for the evaluation of motion, the trajectory length (TL) and traditional range of motion (ROM), were used to analyze a simple rhythmical movement and identified application possibilities of the new parameter. The Pearsons correlation coefficient indicates very strong correlation between the TL and ROM (r>0.8) for both dominant and non-dominant upper limb. Also, the correlation between the body height and TL or ROM was studied. The correlation between the body height and TL or ROM was a negligible (r<0.2). This shows the versatility of the proposed parameter.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.

2015, Acta Polytechnica, 55 (4), p. 229-236), ISSN 1210-2709

Current techniques for quantifying human postural stability during quiet standing have several limitations. The main problem is that only two movement variables are evaluated, though a better description of complex three-dimensional (3-D) movements can be provided with the use of three variables. A single tri-axial accelerometer placed on the trunk was used to measure 3-D data. We are able to evaluate 3-D movements using a method based on the volume of confidence ellipsoid (VE) of the set of points obtained by plotting three accelerations against each other. Our method was used to identify and evaluate pathological balance control. In this study, measurements were made of patients with progressive cerebellar ataxia, and also control measurements of healthy subjects, and a statistical analysis was performed. The results show that the VEs of the neurological disorder patients are significantly larger than the VEs of the healthy subjects. It can be seen that the quantitative method based on VE is very sensitive for identifying changes in stability, and that it is able to distinguish between neurological disorder patients and healthy subjects.

Článek v periodiku excerpovaném databází Scopus cizojaz.

2015, Air Transport 2015: Zborník príspevkov pri príležitosti Týždňa vedy a techniky, Košice, Technická univerzita v Košiciach, Letecká fakulta), p. 94-100), ISBN 978-80-553-2352-7

Príspevok sa zaoberá problematikou komplexného riadenia kvality. Pojednáva o povahe konceptu TQM a jeho potenciálnej implementácii v organizácii. Článok stanovuje zásady uplatňované v organizácií pri zavádzaní TQM a jeho ďalšom udržiavaní a zlepšovaní. Okrem toho, je pojem TQM a jeho presadzovanie aplikovaný na vzdelávacie inštitúcie čo je náplňou v druhej časti článku.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf. česky

2015, Progressive Biomedical Materials and Technologies 2015 Conference proceeding, Kladno, FBMI ČVUT), p. 87-90), ISBN 978-80-01-05818-3

In the biomedical industry, nano/micro thin layers are a popular choice due to their biocompatibility. The scratch test is a widely used adhesion strength measurement method. The image analysis software for the evaluation of data obtained by various scratch systems was designed for identification of the failure points and calculation of the critical forces. To determine the distances of the coating-failure events from the beginning of the scratch, the software primarily uses a picture with scale standard and a scratch picture. The computational algorithm is based on the ratio of the real size of an object and the object size in the image. Scratching was performed by Revetest Xpress Scratch system and Dino-Lite Digital Microscope with its own software (DinoCapture) was used to take two pictures, i.e. picture of the scratch and picture of the Dino-Lite calibration sample. Both pictures must be taken using the same magnification, resolution, physical image sizes and contrast. Both images are then analyzed by our own designed software. In the case of a long scratch, the images of the scratch are captured and loaded one after another and the mouse cursor is used to mark out the relevant distances of the failure events. The calculated values of the critical forces and failure events distances of the scratch are then displayed in the own designed graphical user interface.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf. cizojazyčně

2015, Progressive Biomedical Materials and Technologies 2015 Conference proceeding, Kladno, FBMI ČVUT), p. 91-94), ISBN 978-80-01-05818-3

The new developed nano and micro thin films in biomedicine are intensively studied at the present time. Many research institutions are looking for ways to evaluate mechanical properties of these films. One of the most important characteristic is practical adhesion. Very important method to evaluate the practical adhesion strength is scratch test. Often, however, the research teams use a method uses disunity evaluation of adhesion of biocompatible surface layer. This fact leads to the inability to quantitatively compare research results. However, there are international standards for Europe, USA and other nations describing scratch tests, for example: ISO 1071-3, ISO 20502, ISO 1518, ASTM C1624-05, ASTM D7187-05, which apply mostly for macro-scratch testers, however can be utilized also for measuring nano- and micro-layers. We tested new evaluation methods and procedures based on international standards and expert system in order to eliminate the problem of disunited measurement of practical adhesion of the layers. This article aims to show the new possibility of using established standards to evaluation of adhesion of nano and micro thin biocompatible films and to show application of the standards.

Stať ve sborníku z mezinár. konf. cizojazyčně

2014, 16th Mechatronika 2014, Brno, Brno University of Technology), p. 639-643), ISBN 978-80-214-4817-9

Heart rate is a parameter describing activity of human heart and its psycho-physiological character based on sympathovagal balance of autonomic nervous system, which could be instrumental for indicating stress in aircraft pilots. The assessment focuses on transition from the airplane´s analog presentation of flight data to digital visualization (glass cockpit). The main objective was to examine heart rate of pilots according to the change of flight data imaging during proposed training program, using flight simulator (TRD40 type) and aircraft (DA40 type). Another aim is to interpret stress during different flight tasks and define its influence on pilots’ performance. A group of ten healthy pilots with the same level of experience participated in a seven week training program. A custom designed system consisting of non-complex units was used for measuring procedures during every recorded flight. Heart rate was recorded using a commercial chest belt made by GarminÒ. Spectral analysis of the measured signal has provided the status of sympathovagal balance based on Lomb normalized periodogram. Variation of mental stress according to the values of low to high frequency ratio LF/HF was proven according to the course of training. Results show that the transit from analog to digital visual presentation of avionic data induces stress among pilots and heart rate could be an appropriate parameter defining the actual stress condition.

Stať ve sborníku z prestižní konf.