VIPER
Members
Activities
The VItal signs and PERformance multidisciplinary research unit bridges engineering and life sciences to investigate Human Factors from an integrative perspective.
The ultimate goal in performance research is to accurately monitor (being in real time, or offline) or predict the quality of performance. However, performance is a multidimensional construct, encompassing physiological and psychological modalities, for which measurement standards still need to be defined. The research of this research unit aims at refining methods, and gain a better understanding of performance measurements. This is achieved by a synergy between physiology, engineering and psychology.
Research projects
B3D
The objective is to correlate cardiovascular and
ballistocardiography parameters obtained through a novel analysis of 3 dimensional (3D)
movements of the human body that are due to the mechanical action of the beating heart
and the ejection of blood in the arteries.
The aim is to better understand the cardiovascular changes following the fluid
shift observed in microgravity from the analysis of the vecto-ballistocardiograms in humans.
The experiment will be performed in parabolic flights and on-board the International Space Station.
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Neuropole
The present project is the results of merging ESCOM and COGNIPOLE. ESCOM aims at investigating the effect of exercise on sleep regulation, cognitive performance & mood during both Antarctic summer and winter. COGNIPOLE aims at quantifying the impact of sleep & circadian rhythm disturbance on executive function in the peculiar environment of isolation and confinement in Antarctica. Both projects build further on the results obtained in the Antarctic Sleep Monitoring project.
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SPIN: Validation of centrifugation as a countermeasure for otolith deconditioning during spaceflight (SPIN) and validation of a specific drug against g-level transition induced spatial disorientation and orthostatic intolerance (SPIN-D).
The projects aims at studying the deconditioning of the cardiovascular system and the vestibular system of astronauts as a consequence of long-duration spaceflights. In a second step, countermeasures against orthostatic intolerance upon return into a gravitational environment are assessed.
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