Focus Areas

Focus areas of research in the Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Lab include:

• Spatial orientation and disorientation, motion sickness, simulator sickness, vestibular illusions, flight simulation, balance enhancement, and electrical stimulation of the vestibular system.
• Use of virtual reality and proprietary vestibular technologies, including collaboration with VMocion.
• High altitude-related threats, including terrestrial high altitude-related illnesses, performance alterations due to hypoxia or hypocapnia, and hypobaric and hyperbaric operations.
• Acceleration-induced blackout (G-force-induced loss of consciousness, also called G-LOC, and acceleration-induced loss of consciousness, also called A-LOC) and radial tonometry in healthy research participants and in scenarios with increased cardiac risk.
• Life support and risk mitigation in the context of civilian and governmental space flight operations.
• Development of innovative, noninvasive hearing technologies using low-voltage electric stimulation for surround sound entertainment.
• Development of the HearHook as a personal assistive listening device.
• Integration and synchronization of audiovisual materials for communication assessment.