Eyeblink monitoring as a means of measuring pilot physiological state

The results of a study to determine whether the pilot loss of consciousness (PLOC) monitor is an effective means of detecting G-induced loss of consciousness through monitoring a pilot's eyeblink are presented. The PLOC monitor uses an oxygen-mask-mounted infrared emitter/receiver and a microprocessor to collect and process the light reflected from the eyelid and sclera to determine when a blink occurs. The method used was to instrument centrifuge subjects for EOG and monitor the output under sustained acceleration levels from 3 to 7 G using the PLOC monitor. The PLOC monitor detected better than 90% of subject blinks during the test. There was no statistically significant difference in performance due to acceleration level or eye color, and no artifact from movement or speech. The PLOC monitor performed well under sustained acceleration and shows potential for use in an in-flight pilot-physiological-state monitoring system.<
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