Human performance

We do this by:

• measuring, improving and predicting physical, mental, cognitive and perceptual performance of military personnel and security professionals, within the challenging - sometimes extreme - operational conditions in which they have to operate, for example 'environment' (including climate), 'clothing and equipment' and ‘physically demanding circumstances’;
• developed or further developed innovative methods, techniques and products in order to allow the aforementioned professionals to perform optimally and to keep them healthy and fit. Think of cooling vests, camouflage clothing, night vision, exoskeletons, apps and integration of sensors in clothing or other "wearables".

Our expertise

HP consists of 3 teams:

• Perseverance, preparedness and environmental ergonomics (P2E2)
• Advancing human performance in environments that are adverse and demanding (AHEAD)
• Perception, cognition, neuro and technology (PCNT). The group has extensive knowledge of and experience with the end user and the circumstances in which they operate.

The main underlying expertise:

• P2E2: measuring, optimizing / improving and modeling human performance on physical, mental, physiological and cognitive aspects, approaching performance within the system (of clothing, equipment and conditions).
• AHEAD: measuring, predicting and improving human performance in the physical and / or cognitive field in extreme conditions, especially moving platforms (air, land and sea) with heavy cognitive and physical task load.
• PCNT: Detecting and predicting the mental state and cognitive performance of people on the basis of neurophysiology. Measuring and modeling visual perception (in lab and field) in order to be able to see better (with the help of sensors, brightness enhancers, thermal image and fusion thereof) on the one hand, and to be seen less well (camouflage) on the other.

Our Facilities

The group makes use of various facilities with which the conditions of an end user can be simulated in a controlled manner. The facilities are clustered around physical, mental and cognitive performance, visual perception, (dis)orientation and motion sickness, thermophysiology and immersion in virtual environments. The department also specializes in field experiments.