Validation of bio-monitoring integration in a smart hood in critical aquatic and airborne environments – VIGILENS

The safety and performance of operators in extreme environments in the world of modern challenges such as mastering the seabed and space make human bio-monitoring indispensable. Sensors integrated into operators' suits and peripherals, rapidly detecting any life-threatening anomalies, are particularly relevant in aquatic and aerial environments where civilian and military divers and pilots are exposed to significant physiological risks. While research into bio-monitoring for pilots and the associated tools exist, they are not yet available “off the shelf” or integrated into operational systems. As for divers, there are very few tools available for measuring the human condition under the extreme conditions of scuba diving. The need for innovative and reliable solutions to fill this gap is therefore imperative.

Following on from the ANR ASTRID ELOCANS project, this VIGILENS project aims to design, develop, and validate an intelligent hood equipped with bio-monitoring sensors, for use in critical aquatic and aerial environments, both simulated and real. This multi-disciplinary project brings together a consortium of researchers in human factors and human-system interaction in the aerospace field (ISAE-SUPAERO, ENAC, and l'Ecole de l'Air et de l'Espace) and relevant industrial players with experience in designing suits and electronics for space exploration and diving (Spartan Space, and Aqualung).

The first stage involves the design and development of an intelligent hood incorporating various sensors for monitoring the human condition. A centralized unit, called a hub, would be created to acquire and process data from the hood. This hub is accompanied by a user interface enabling data to be displayed in real-time. The project includes several validation phases: first in simulated environments, and then in real environments. In a flight simulator and in an artificial underwater environment (15 m pit), we will verify the ability of the smart hood and its interface to acquire the relevant data, process them, and display the result to the user in real time. This will be followed by experimental campaigns in real-life critical environments (real flight and diving in natural environments) to validate the design under operational conditions. The ultimate aim of the VIGILENS project is to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of an innovative bio-monitoring system, paving the way for new health and safety applications for operators in critical aquatic and aerial environments.