Facilities
The Human Factors program at the University of Idaho has more than 2,000 square feet of lab space providing access to cutting edge technology and sophisticated equipment used in human factors research. The program also has a graduate student office space with computers available to students for data analysis and typical office functions.
Research Facilities
- Locations: Forney Hall 003 and Student Health 016D
- 225 square feet
- Contains both eye-tracking technology and a sound booth for auditory studies.
- Eye tracking: ASL EYE-TRAC6 System with remote desk-mounted tracking. The system uses an infrared beam to track head position so that the person doesn't have to lock their head into a device to hold it still.
- Sound booth: 4x4 feet, lined with fabric for visual isolation, insulated with foam and fabric sound-deadening material, equipped with two 5-inch powered studio monitors, sound is controlled externally by the researcher.
- Physiological measures (heart rate, electrodermal response).
- Several GPS trackers for use in real-world behavioral data collection
- Location: Student Health Center 009
- 280 square feet
- 130 square feet for main lab facility but can be reconfigured.
- 150 square feet used as graduate student office and meeting space.
- Equipment includes:
- 1-Wacom Cintiq 24” graphics tablet with multi-touch capability
- 2-iMac 24” personal computers
- 1-Tobii eye-tracker X2-60
- 1-Windows computer workstation running ePrime II for time-critical experiments
- Location: Forney Hall 001
- 280 square feet
- Includes a large open space equipped with an 8-camera Vicon Bonita motion capture system and the Motion Monitor integration package.
- Allows collection of three-dimensional position data from passive reflective markers on the body and allows for real time generation of a model of the human body in motion.
- 64-channel EEG system to record electrical activation from brain during activity: https://www.ant-neuro.com/products/eego_sports
- 8-channel Delsys EMG system to record electrical activation from muscles during activity: https://www.delsys.com/products/desktop-emg/surface-emg-sensors/
- 8 Opal inertial sensors from APDM to record acceleration and angular velocity during activities, with Mobility Lab software for instant data analysis and Motion Studio software for custom analyses: https://www.apdm.com/wearable-sensors/
- The Twister: custom equipment for assessing postural tone during standing: https://www.jove.com/video/3677/method-to-measure-tone-of-axial-and-proximal-muscle
- Location: Memorial Gym B46A
- 700 square feet
- Bay 1 of the simulation lab hosts the Driving Simulator and includes:
- NADS (National Advanced Driving Simulator, U of Iowa) seven channel MiniSim driving simulator (3 forward view, 1 dashboard display, 3 rear view mirrors)
- Total forward field-of-view 135° (front-projection screens)
- 3 high-resolution data projectors for the forward view
- 1 fully instrumented Chevy S10 cab with 3D sound
- 3 LCD displays for dash display and side mirrors
- Pedals for breaking and acceleration
- Steering wheel with switches and gear shifter
- 1 60” Plasma screen for the center rear view or alternatively
- 1 “Flight Seat” with controls suitable for aviation simulation
- 1 host PC for simulation control using our in-house-developed ViEWER simulation software using the same front projection setup
- Bay 2 of the simulation lab is set aside to be equipped with:
- 1 process control simulation station (for INL Alarm Dashboard project)
- 3 large-screen monitors and 1 server running the process control simulation software currently developed in house (to be installed Spring 2013).
- Lab also includes:
- 5 PCs for office applications (data analysis, manuscript writing)
- Apparatus for “Human Water Maze” for spatial cognition experiments
- Location: Student Health Center 016D
- 250 square feet
- Painted flat black with black carpeting to control reflections for visual psychophysics experiments.
- Equipment includes:
- Contains the Flight simulator with high-resolution 54" diagonal rear-projection enclosure with NEC high-resolution/fast phosphor CRT projector
- 2 large (60” diagonal) rear projection cabinets with high-resolution and fast-phosphor NEC CRT projectors (1 of which is currently inoperable).
- 2 graphics workstations capable of generating high quality 3D graphics for our simulations
- 1 host computer for controlling simulations
- 1 ASL head mounted eye-head tracking system that also can be used for measurement of pupil diameter with its own dedicated computer
- Sensors and amplifiers for monitoring heart rate, breathing rate, and skin conductance (on loan from WSU Psych Department due to faculty adjunct status there)
- 1 file server with redundant back-up systems
- 1 height-adjustable participant seat with various controls (joysticks, steering wheels, etc.)
- Flock of Birds magnetic head tracking system and IS-300 3DOF inertial tracking system.