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Current Projects
Vision and Motion in Natural Task Performance
New technologies allow us to effectively investigate human performance on more natural and ecologically valid tasks. As part of our digital human modeling effort, we are interested in human perception, cognition and action during natural tasks. More...
Larry Otis Streamliner Project
Larry Otis, the former mayor of Tupelo Mississppi is building a vehicle to compete in the Streamliner G Class at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Mr. Otis chose CAVS to assist with the design of the vehicle which will include a diesel-powered engine ranging in size from 93 to 122 cubic inches. To be classified a Streamliner, the vehicle must have the front wheel or wheels covered by an aerodynamic skirt and be powered by a mechanical drive train.More...
Integrating Santos Digital Human Model and ACT-R Cognitive Model
Santos, a digital human model under development at the University of Iowa, will be integrated with the ACT-R cognitive architecture. This will allow developers to build computational models of human task performance. These models will allow designers to evaluate the cognitive and ergonomic impact of product and workspace designs.More...
Product Lifecycle Management Systems Implementation
CAVS has implemented several Product Lifecycle Managment (PLM) systems to research collaborative engineering from the points of view of the manufacturer, the supplier and the customer. CAVS holistic view of PLM encompasses every aspect of design, engineering, manufacturing, management and support of both goods and services.More...
Spatial Training Research In Virtual Environmnets
Law enforcement is increasingly called upon to effectively respond to active shooter events. Many of these events are infrequent, difficult or impossible to predict, and can result in significant loss of life. Officers must attempt to train to act under uncertainty in locations with which they have limited or no familiarity. When possible, SWAT teams will practice their tactics on-site at locations that are deemed to be high-risk such as schools or government buildings. However, the nature of these locations and other public locations necessarily limits the possibility for on-site SWAT and emergency responder training. More...
Investigation of the Effects of Increased Coverage Area for Soft Body Armor

The goal of this project is to provide an objective evaluation of increased coverage area of soft body armor. This evaluation will be a collaborative, multi-phase effort with two objectives: Determine the areas that current body armor does not cover but, if covered, have the greatest potential to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities. Evaluate the effect of increased coverage area on task performance, including task completion time and firing accuracy. More...

3D Model of Ship Pilot House for VERTEX
A pilot house was developed to demo for ship builder customers interested in our CATIA and VERTEX capabilities. HPC personnel are helping by writing a custom reader for the VERTEX.

Past Projects
Mississippi Active Shooter Training and Evaluation
In an effort to decrease the risks of civilian fatalities during active shooter situations most law enforcement agencies are now training patrol officers to respond to active shooter situations by using methods that are typically used by tactical teams. Patrol officers are being trained in entry-breaching and room-clearing tactics, but they may not have the experience background of tactical officers prior to their training. Further, law enforcement agencies are frequently using “train-the-trainer” techniques in an effort to reduce training costs. The MASTE project will evaluate the transfer of an active shooter response training program from the instruction provided to trainers to the training of patrol officers applying the training in the field. More...
Law Enforcement Research Initiative
The Law Enforcement Research Initiative is an effort to work with the local (city and university) and regional law enforcement communities to investigate human factors issues in officer task performance and training. More...
MC-Ergo (Motion Capture-based Ergonomics)
MC-Ergo is a software system being developed at CAVS that performs ergonomics analyses using human motion capture data. While motion capture systems have seen wide-spread use for animation in the motion picture and video game industries, its use in the field of ergonomics has been limited. Many of the systems available today are very expensive and require a high level of expertise to use, limiting their availability for use in research and small-to-medium sized businesses. MC-Ergo is intended to apply industry-accepted equations and methods (e.g., NIOSH Lifting Equation, RULA, etc.) to a variety of human motion data formats.More...
Human Motion Capture
Human motion capture (MOCAP) is the process of recording the movements of a live human and storing the movements in a digital format. Current technologies and systems for capturing human motion include mechanical "exoskeleton" systems, optical and video camera systems, magnetic sensors, and data gloves. Human motion capture has been traditionally used in the motion picture industry to animate computer-generated characters and in the medical field for analysis of common human movements such as walking. More...