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Army Science and Technology Objective: IV.ME.1999.02

Problem

Soldier health and performance can be impaired in adverse environments; however, there are no deployable, real-time soldier physiology models currently available to predict these environmental risks. The Army uses battle simulation software to predict operational outcomes based on input variables such as mission, terrain and climate; however, accurate outcome predictions require accurate predictions of individual and unit-level performance. The Army needs accurate physiological predictive tools for a variety of specific applications ranging from soldier physiological monitoring for commanders to feedback controls of individual microclimate cooling systems.

Medical Research Solution

Collect environmental/physiology data in lab and field studies to verify and validate individual soldier predictive models. Demonstrate accurate prediction of individual responses to thermal stress, develop a practical, multi-task, model to predict individual soldier performance, and develop predictive models for individual and unit-level physiological performance based on environmental and operational variables.

Products

An advanced version of the SCENARIO model for integration into Army-wide performance models. SCENARIO can take operational or training factors such as terrain characteristics, temperature, workload, and individual clothing, and provide accurate predictions of thermal stress with recommendations for fluid replacement and work/rest schedules. The advanced version incorporates gender-free thermoregulatory effects, effects of inadequate water replacement, microclimate cooling prediction, and new tolerance predictions.

Last Update: April 2, 2003