Toni Valles-Catala
Toni Valles-Catala, Head of Research, CESDA
- Doctor in chemical, environmental and process engineering
- Masters degree in Teaching for Secondary School
- Masters degree in Research on Chemical Engineering
- Degree in Mathematics
- Diploma in Statistics.
Oral presentations in several international congresses:
- Complex Networks: from theory to interdisciplinary applications (Mar-
seilles, July 2016) - The 7th International Workshop on Complex Networks (Dijon, March
2016) - NetSci 2015 (Zaragoza, June 2015)
- ECCS’14 satellite workshop Multiplex Networks 2014: Towards the un-
derstanding of a complex world (Lucca, September 2014)
Stress Comparison Between Virtual Reality Flight Simulator and Usual Flight Smulator Training Devices
Virtual reality allows the assimilation of concepts with active learning, a review by Kavanagh et. al., (2017) highlights studies that have shown an increase in motivation, enjoyment, increased time-on-task, deeper learning and long-term retention. Particularly in aviation, the first virtual reality-based flight simulation training device was recently approved (European Union Aviation Safety Agency [EASA], 2021), suggesting that in the future it will be a necessary tool for flight training.
On the other hand, there is a need for studying the improvement of virtual reality in education with respect to the Flight Simulator Training Devices (FSTD) used nowadays: is virtual reality merely a more attractive tool or it actually provides a more immersive experience than the conventional simulator?
More concretely, do pilots perceive higher levels of stress in a virtual reality flight simulator compared to a standard FSTD? Actually, stress can be measured in real time, for example with the wristband Empatica e4 that measures ElectroDermal Activity (EDA), an accurate indicator of stress previously used in flight simulators (Valles, et. al., 2021).
In this study we put the Empatica e4 wristband to student pilots, to observe the EDA when they perform the same mission in a FSTD and also under an Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality framework. We expect to find higher levels of stress with virtual reality, suggesting a more immersive experience in flight simulation.
