Abstract:

In order to overcome the limitations of traditional multi-electrode electroencephalography technology in flight applications and effectively assess the mental workload of pilots, 43 pilots were recruited in this study to conduct simulated flight experiments. Each participant was required to perform flight tasks at three different mental workload levels (low, medium, and high) using a Cessna 172R simulator. The low workload task involved a standard five-leg takeoff and landing route, while the medium and high workload tasks were variations of the low workload task, with the addition of one and three malfunctions, respectively. Heart rate signals, EEG signals (collected from the Frontal Pole(FP) 1 electrode), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index(NASA-TLX) scale data were recorded. The results show that as mental workload increased, both NASA-TLX scale scores and heart rate exhibited an upward trend. The power values in the Alpha and Beta bands significantly increased as mental workload levels increased. A threshold based on the percentage increase in EEG power was established. When the power increase exceeded the threshold, it was classified as medium or high mental workload, triggering an alert. The findings suggest that single-electrode EEG signals based on the FP1 electrode can effectively assess the mental workload levels of pilots.

Key words: single electrode, electroencephalography (EEG), pilot, mental workload, frequency band power