Human Factors
Research on human performance, ergonomics and crew resource management.
Our team focuses on research and development in the fields of human factors, air transportation, and human-technology interaction in safety-critical systems. We combine experimental research, simulation, data analytics, and modern technologies to better understand human performance, decision-making, and human limitations in complex operational environments. A significant part of our activities is oriented toward aviation, air traffic management, automation, and adaptive systems supporting human operators. The team combines expertise in air transportation, biomedical engineering, physiology, artificial intelligence, signal processing, and software development. Our research activities include operator fatigue, spatial disorientation, psychophysiological monitoring, simulator technologies, Human-AI teaming, and safety analysis using system-based methods such as STPA and FRAM, in cooperation with a team focused on aviation safety. In addition to research activities, we also focus on the development of experimental platforms and simulation environments that enable realistic testing of human-technology interaction under conditions close to real-world operations. Our goal is to develop solutions that contribute to improving the safety, efficiency, and adaptability of future transportation and automated systems.
Highlights
Bridging Military and Civil Aviation Training
Recent Research Highlights
24-Hour ATC Human Performance Experiment
Team Members
Selected Results
The somatogravic illusion, a vestibular misperception caused by linear acceleration in the absence of visual cues, poses a significant safety risk during flight, particularly under instrument meteorological conditions. Despite its operational relevance, current pilot training programs emphasize theoretical instruction and lack practical exposure to such illusions. This study aimed to assess the behavioral effects of the somatogravic illusion in a controlled simulator environment and to evaluate the potential for adaptation through repeated exposure. A total of 114 pilots were assigned to four groups based on IFR experience. Each participant completed two simulator sessions one week apart, each comprising flights with and without induced somatogravic illusions. Illusion induction was achieved using cabin pitch motion within a fixed-base disorientation trainer. Altitude trajectories during the illusion interval were extracted, L2-normalized, and analyzed using principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering. Cluster transitions were evaluated to identify adaptation patterns. Post-exposure questionnaires assessed perceptual awareness and training utility. Illusion exposure caused systematic suppression of climb performance, independent of IFR experience. Unsupervised clustering revealed two dominant trajectory patterns corresponding to affected and unaffected responses. In the second session, 32% of previously affected pilots transitioned to the unaffected cluster, indicating behavioral adaptation. Perceptual awareness of the illusion remained low (23%-29%), yet 95.6% of participants endorsed the inclusion of vestibular illusion scenarios in IFR training. Controlled simulator exposure to the somatogravic illusion elicits measurable disruptions in altitude control that are not mitigated by experience alone but can improve with brief, repeated exposure. The findings support the integration of illusion-focused modules into early instrument training to enhance resilience to spatial disorientation. The use of fixed-base simulators for such training is feasible and well-received by pilots.
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.
The aim of this methodology is to utilize the findings from research conducted by the Czech Technical University in Prague, in collaboration with the Institute of Aviation Medicine in Prague and supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic within the research project CK02000321 of TACR TRANSPORT 2020+ Programme. This methodology compiles knowledge from the research project and provides evidence-based procedures for incorporating practical training on vestibular illusions into the initial instrument flight training for pilots. This is with the consideration that such training could, in the future, be recognized in terms of flight hours as part of the training for obtaining instrument flying qualifications, offering the practical benefit of spatial disorientation training on a simulator. This methodology is designed for certified pilot training organizations that offer practical training to achieve qualifications in instrument flying. It also serves as a valuable resource for students who possess limited practical and theoretical experience in their preparation for undertaking pilot duties. Additionally, this document is intended for use by training institutions seeking to enhance the capabilities and competencies of pilots.
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.
Selected Projects
Evolution of the Human Role Supported by Automation
The evolution toward highly automated Air Traffic Management systems, central to the Digital European Sky vision, presents regulatory, operational, and human factors challenges that current frameworks cannot adequately address. Critical gaps include the unpredictability of automation behavior, regulatory uncertainty for Levels 3–4 autonomy, weak integration of military aviation needs, and the absence of standardized human performance and safety metrics. These deficiencies risk eroding operator trust, weakening safety assurance, and creating legal ambiguity, ultimately jeopardizing the safe and acceptable deployment of higher automation. The EHRA project aims to deliver a validated, regulator-ready methodology for assessing the human–automation interface in both civil and military ATM contexts. By combining regulatory and interoperability analysis with model-based, simulation-validated use-case experimentation, EHRA will provide a robust evidence base to support higher levels of automation. The methodology will systematically integrate legal, operational, human factors, and technical perspectives to: (i) identify regulatory enablers and gaps in areas such as liability, licensing, certification, and insurance; (ii) quantify the effects of advanced automation on vigilance, fatigue, workload, situational awareness, and cognitive skills; and (iii) develop hazard identification and mitigation strategies for supervisory human–machine teaming roles. The ambition is to establish a repeatable, multidisciplinary framework that bridges research and regulation, enables evidence-based decision-making, ensures civil–military interoperability, and prepares regulation for both deterministic and AI-based automation technologies. By providing actionable insights, standardized validation methods, and regulatory recommendations, EHRA will directly contribute to harmonized European airspace integration and the safe, efficient, and human-centric introduction of advanced ATM automation.
A System for Multiaxial Flight Simulator and Vestibular Illusion Training
The proposed research project focuses on the development of a system for multi-axis flight simulation that enables the realistic reproduction of flight maneuvers and the targeted induction of vestibular illusions. These illusions, such as somatogravic and somatogyral illusions, significantly affect a pilot’s spatial orientation and have a crucial impact on flight safety. Current training programs are primarily focused on theoretical knowledge and lack practical exposure to sensory distortions. The aim of the project is therefore to develop an advanced simulation system capable of generating vestibular responses and providing more effective preparation of pilots for situations involving spatial disorientation. The proposed device will be based on a gyroscopic platform with free rotation in three axes. The pilot will be seated in the simulator cockpit, where the movements of the aerotrim will be synchronized with flight data in the virtual environment of X-Plane. The entire system will be mounted on a rotating platform that allows rotation in the transverse plane and creates conditions for the induction of vestibular illusions according to a certified methodology developed in previous research conducted by the project team. Previous studies have confirmed that practical training involving vestibular illusions significantly enhances pilot training by allowing safe exposure to situations leading to disorientation and decision-making errors. Existing simulators are predominantly military in nature, financially demanding, and largely inaccessible to civilian flight schools. This project therefore focuses on the development of a cost-effective solution that will enable broader implementation of practical vestibular illusion training in civil aviation training programs. In addition to its direct benefits for pilot training, the project will expand research on vestibular responses in aviation. The availability of such a system will enable objective assessment of the effects of vestibular disorientation, improvement of training methodologies, and advancement of knowledge in the field of aviation physiology.
The project aims to enhance aviation safety through the early detection of fatigue and drowsiness among air traffic controllers. The results will be implemented and tested in real environment to confirm project's benefits during real operation. The main output of the project will be a comprehensive functional prototype with advanced software focused on detecting potentially risky states and their subsequent notification. Key components of the project include research and development of the sensing unit, suitable algorithms for detecting fatigue and drowsiness features (such as changes in maximum saccadic velocity), and data collection within air traffic control. The project outcomes have significant potential to be deployed in other transportation sectors and in critical operations.
Psychophysiological condition of pilots and its influence on carrying out the final phase of landing on an airport
The goal of the project is to create a concept of measurement, analysis and evaluation of pilots’ psychophysiological condition as the potential indicator of failure during final phase of approach and landing at an airport. The main focus is put on heart rhythm variability and visual perception modeling. The concept aims at increasing the level of air transport safety by enabling the evaluation of psychophysiological condition and cognitive capabilities of flight crews during phase of flight which belongs to the most risky and susceptible to the deficiencies of the crew. Achieving the concept will allow further improvements in safety of air transport by reducing the risk associated with specific actions during landing on an airport.
The primary goal of the project is to develop evidence-based methodologies and procedures that would allow the incorporation of vestibular illusion simulators into pilots' initial training, in the way which would allow acceptance of flight hours of pilots’ training along with the benefit of practical spatial disorientation training. This concept focuses on the training period, where pilots learn to fly with instruments. The main output will be certified methodology enabling the implementation of such simulators into ab-initio pilot training. The objectives of the project will be achieved through research activities that should demonstrate the importance of implementing vestibular illusion training into pilot simulator training, which should contribute to increasing safety in air transport.