Pilots need to maintain their situational awareness by performing head checks. Head checks in the presence of higher acceleration can result in high rates of neck pain and injury. Assistive exoskeletons are seen to augment the abilities of the human body. These systems have received less attention for pilots and aircrews in the reported studies. This work proposes a novel multi-link neck exoskeleton for aircrews. Parameter analysis and optimisation of the system are conducted for two common aircrew head postures in different acceleration levels. High-g centrifuge experimental data provides acceleration data in three axis’ for the scenarios. The simulation is done in musculoskeletal simulation software. The results show that, for both postures, the human model records lower muscle activity measures than baseline when equipped with the optimised exoskeleton. At 9g, for the check-6 posture, a reduction of 16.11% is recorded while for extension posture, the reduction is 39.12%. The efficacy of the design proves the significant benefit of the system in enhancing aircrews’ safety and situational awareness.
HämäläinenOToivakka-HämäläinenSKKuronenP.+Gz associated stenosis of the cervical spinal canal in fighter pilots. Aviat Space Environ Med1999; 70(4): 330–334.
2.
HendriksenIJHolewijnM.Degenerative changes of the spine of fighter pilots of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). Space1999; 701057: 63.
3.
NettoKJ.Neck loading in high performance combat pilots during aerial combat manoeuvres and specific neck strengthening exercises. PhD thesis. Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia, 2006.
4.
NewmanPRichesAMaraJ, et al. The effect of helmet mass and aircraft acceleration on cervical spine loads during typical fast jet aircraft pilot head motions. J Sci Med Sport2022; 25(10): 855–860.
5.
DrewWeSr. Spinal symptoms in aviators and their relationship to G-exposure and aircraft seating angle. Aviat Space Environ Med2000; 71(1): 22–30.
6.
NewmanDG.Head positioning for high +Gz loads: an analysis of the techniques used by F/A-18 pilots. Aviat Space Environ Med1997; 68(8): 732–735.
7.
HämäläinenOVanharantaH.Effect of Gz forces and head movements on cervical erector spinae muscle strain. Aviat Space Environ Med1992; 63(8): 709–716.
8.
JonesJAHartSFBaskinDS, et al. Human and behavioral factors contributing to spine-based neurological cockpit injuries in pilots of high-performance aircraft: recommendations for management and prevention. Mil Med2000; 165(1): 6–12.
9.
WallaceJBOsmotherlyPGGabbettTJ, et al. Surveillance is the first step to preventing injury among fast jet aircrew: results of a 2-year prospective cohort study. Occup Environ Med2023; 80(11): 617–625.
10.
AndersenHT.Neck injury sustained during exposure to high-G forces in the F16B. Aviat Space Environ Med1988; 59(4): 356–358.
11.
MullerARNgoOCroninCA.Developing air force’s combat aircrew. Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), 2004.
12.
De LooseVVan den OordMBurnotteF, et al. Individual, work-, and flight-related issues in F-16 pilots reporting neck pain. Aviat Space Environ Med2008; 79(8): 779–783.
13.
WallaceJBNewmanPMMcGarveyA, et al. Factors associated with neck pain in fighter aircrew: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Occup Environ Med2021; 78: 900–912.
14.
HengWWeiFLiuZ, et al. Physical exercise improved muscle strength and pain on neck and shoulder in military pilots. Front Physiol2022; 13: 973304.
15.
ChumbleyEMStolfiAMcEachenJC.Risk factors for cervical pain in F-15C pilots. Aerosp Med Hum Perform2017; 88(11): 1000–1007.
16.
DamsgaardMRasmussenJChristensenST, et al. Analysis of musculoskeletal systems in the anybody modeling system. Simul Model Pract Theory2006; 14(8): 1100–1111.
17.
DiaoHXinHJinZ.Prediction of in vivo lower cervical spinal loading using musculoskeletal multi-body dynamics model during the head flexion/extension, lateral bending and axial rotation. Proc Inst Mech Eng H2018; 232(11): 1071–1082.
18.
WuDWangLLiP. A 6-DOF exoskeleton for head and neck motion assist with parallel manipulator and sEMG based control. In: 2016 international conference on control, decision and information technologies (CoDIT), Saint Julian's, Malta, 2016, p. 341–344. IEEE.
19.
ZhangHAgrawalSK.Kinematic design of a dynamic brace for measurement of head/neck motion. IEEE Robot Autom Lett2017; 2(3): 1428–1435.
20.
CooperRACooperR.Rehabilitation engineering: a perspective on the past 40-years and thoughts for the future. Med Eng Phys2019; 72: 3–12.
21.
MudieKBillingDGarofoliniA, et al. The need for a paradigm shift in the development of military exoskeletons. Eur J Sport Sci2022; 22(1): 35–42.
22.
MohajerNWinterAGregoryTM, et al. Experimental validation of a high-G centrifuge system using an advanced wireless human dummy. In: 2022 IEEE international conference on systems, man, and cybernetics (SMC), Prague, Czech Republic, 2022, pp. 2827–2832. IEEE.
23.
MohajerNNahavandiDWatsonM, et al. Motion and dynamic analyses of a human centrifuge system with an efficient design configuration. Aerosp Sci Technol2021; 117: 106972.
24.
MohajerNNajdovskiZNahavandiS.An efficient design solution for a low-cost high-G centrifuge system. IEEE/ASME Trans Mechatron2021; 26(1): 134–145.
25.
MohajerNNajdovskiZNahavandiS. Design and development of a low-cost high-G centrifuge system (cyclone). In: 2019 7th international conference on control, mechatronics and automation (ICCMA), Delft, Netherlands, 2019, pp. 305–309. IEEE.
26.
MohajerNAbdiHNahavandiS.Dynamic response multiobjective optimization of road vehicle ride quality—a computational multibody system approach. Proc Inst Mech Eng K J Multi-body Dyn2017; 231(2): 316–332.
27.
WittenburgJ.Kinematics: theory and applications. Springer, 2016.
28.
NettoKJBurnettAF.Neck muscle activation and head postures in common high performance aerial combat maneuvers. Aviat Space Environ Med2006; 77(10): 1049–1055.
29.
MathysRFergusonSJ.Simulation of the effects of different pilot helmets on neck loading during air combat. J Biomech2012; 45(14): 2362–2367.
