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Seminar: Technologies and computational modeling tools for human vestibular performance in aerospace environments - Sept. 22

Torin Clark

Torin Clark
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Thursday, Sept. 22 | 3:00 P.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Modern crewed aerospace vehicles operate in challenging environments, leading to complex and often highly-automated vehicle system designs. My research focuses on understanding the capabilities and limitations of humans in these environments and developing and evaluating countermeasures to improvement performance and safety. Here, I will focus on two related research thrusts.

The first investigates the use of galvanic vestibular stimulation, which non-invasively, artificially stimulates the vestibular system, responsible for human orientation perception and balance. In a series of experimental investigations, we have explored using galvanic vestibular stimulation to enhance human perception and performance, particularly relevant for astronauts and pilots of high performance aircraft, who may face vestibular challenges.

Second, I will present extensions and applications we have made to a computational model for human spatial orientation perception.

Finally, I will touch on other ongoing research projects aiming to mitigate motion sickness for astronauts, evaluating displays and control modes for piloted lunar landing, and estimate human cognitive states for adaptive human-autonomy teaming.

Bio: Torin K. Clark is an Assistant Professor in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department and an investigator in the Bioastronautics Laboratory. Prior to joining CU in 2016, he completed his PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT as part of the Man Vehicle Laboratory (now the Human Systems Laboratory). He was a National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) First Award Fellow (postdoctoral fellow) at Harvard Medical School in the Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory.

His research focuses on the challenges that humans face during space exploration missions. Specifically, this includes astronaut biomedical issues, space human factors, human sensorimotor/vestibular function and adaptation, human-autonomy teaming, mathematical models of spatial orientation perception, and human-in-the-loop experiments.

Dr. Clark was previously a Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Fellow (2008-2013), the MIT Aero-Astro Boeing Fellow (2012-2013), a Summer Faculty Research Fellow for the Office of Naval Research, and was recently selected as the Smead Department Outstanding Junior Faculty (2022).