New simulator tests stress level of IAF pilots

A new simulator developed at the College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel can determine whether the pilot holding the stick is under pressure.

The simulator has sensors attached to the pilot's arm and steering stick that measure his muscle movements, perspiration and applied pressure as he grasps the stick. According to Dr. Michael Wagner, who developed the device, these three indices taken together reveal the pilot's mental state and how much stress he is under.

Wagner, who heads the college's human engineering laboratory, predicted that in the future, this technology will be incorporated into other simulators, such as those used by doctors, drivers, and operators of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Israel Air Force pilots train on flight simulators regularly. However, the IAF does not have flight simulators for Cobra helicopters, so pilots of these choppers train on Cobra simulators in the United States.