SBIR Phase II: Virtual reality platform that accurately and rapidly assesses meaningful brain function outside the lab

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是提供关于认知健康的新信息。这项支持包括6000万名运动员，每年有300万人遭受创伤性脑损伤，还有4000万人希望测量大脑健康。目前的医疗保健评估可在专业设施与训练有素的专业人员和检测只有显着的变化认知。相比之下，该项目开发了一种负担得起的，可靠的方法来测量大脑健康，并监测治疗，训练和康复后的变化。该项目利用了人类表现，认知神经科学，计算机科学和虚拟现实模拟方面的专业知识。此外，它还为运动员提供了一种评估认知能力的方法，如专注力、决策能力和多任务处理能力。这一小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将专注于训练、测量、分析和报告人们如何一致地执行运动和认知任务的技术方面。这些研究领域和技术知识结合在一起，形成了一个独特的认知平台，既解释了身体行为，也解释了认知行为。该平台的测量仪器反映了以下方面的前沿研究：（1）人类感知，特别是在快节奏和动态环境中;以及（2）虚拟现实环境中感知和行动的相互作用。分析引擎每分钟捕获和处理数千个数据点，描述模拟空间中的对象位置;用户的手、身体和头部行为;以及认知性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to provide new infomration on cognitive health. The support includes 60 M people who identify as athletes, 3 M annually suffering traumatic brain injuries, and the 40 M more looking to measure brain health. Current healthcare assessments are available at specialized facilities with trained professionals and detect only significant changes to cognition. In contrast, this project develops an affordable, reliable way to measure brain health and to monitor changes after treatment, training, and rehabilitation. This project leverages expertise in human performance, cognitive neuroscience, computer science and virtual reality simulation. Furthermore, it offers athletes a way to assess cognitive abilities such as focus, decision making and multitasking.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will focus on the technical aspects of training, measuring, analyzing and reporting how people perform athletic and cognitive tasks in unison. These domains of research and technical knowledge come together to form a unique cognition platform that accounts for both physical and cognitive behavior. The platform's measurement instruments reflect cutting-edge research on (1) human perception, specifically in fast-paced and dynamic environments; and (2) the interplay of perception and action in a virtual reality environment. The analytics engine captures and processes thousands of data points per minute describing object locations in simulated space; users' hands, body and head behavior; and cognitive performance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.