Nation began using AI to adjust combat pilots’ training based on brain signals. The proposal involves adjusting training to the “real” mental load of each pilot.
The Netherlands is experimenting with a peculiar approach to military training by using artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret neural signals from combat pilots and, based on that, alter exercises in real time.
The news is brought to us by , which emphasizes that the goal of this new technique is to keep aviators in a constant level of cognitive demandreducing moments of “decompression” that could harm preparation for operational scenarios.
The initiative is attributed to the Royal Netherlands Air Force and was described in a study in arXiv. Instead of programs with fixed levels of difficulty, the proposal involves adjust training to each pilot’s “real” mental loadwhich is measured during task execution.
In the tests, pilots flew in virtual reality environments, with advanced simulators, while using electrodes on the scalp to collect brain waves.
An algorithm analyzes these signals and estimates the degree of difficulty perceived by the aviator. From this indicator, the system introduces immediate changes to the mission in a subtle way, for example, modifying visibility in the simulated scenario. Everything to make the exercise more challenging or less demanding.
In total, 15 airmen participated in the study. The protocol alternated five difficulty levels without pilots being informed of the change. THE majority said they prefer the dynamic model compared to pre-programmed exercisesbut the results did not show objective performance improvements.
The authors point to a likely reason for this failure: the individual variability of brain patterns. The system was trained with data from other pilots in the initial phase, which may have led to less accurate readings in some participants and highlighted the difficulty of generalizing models between different people.
The interest goes beyond the simulator. James Blundell, from Cranfield, points out that the detection of responses such as startle or panic and the possibility of the aircraft itself helping the pilot to regain focus and control are also being studied.
