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Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS)
07.17.09

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) will investigate why astronauts experience difficulty with hand-eye coordination while on orbit. These measurements will be used to distinguish between three possible explanations: the brain not adapting to the near weightlessness of space; the difficulty of performing fine movements when floating in space; and stress due to factors such as space sickness and sleep deprivation. This experiment is a cooperative effort with the Canadian Space Agency.

Principal Investigator

  • Barry Fowler, Ph.D., York University, North York, Ontario, Canada

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

    Information Pending

    Payload Developer


    Canadian Space Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Bristol Aerospace, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Sponsoring Agency

    Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    |14|15|

    Previous ISS Missions

    PMDIS is a new experiment for microgravity research.

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • PMDIS will attempt to distinguish between the three current theories for the initial decline in hand-eye coordination in space. The current explanations are as follows:
      • The brain not adapting to the weightlessness of space.
      • The difficulty of performing fine movements when floating in space.
      • Stress due to factors such as space sickness and sleep deprivation.

    Description

    Perceptual-Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) monitors the hand-eye coordination of astronauts in microgravity. PMDIS will measure the Shuttle astronaut's hand-eye coordination prior to docking with ISS (transition from 1-g to zero-g). Measurements will be taken while the astronaut's arm is securely supported or floating free in three conditions:

    • Tapping targets on a computer screen with a stylus.

    • Moving a cursor between the targets with a joystick.

    • Performing these tasks while responding to tones with a button press.
    For the tests, a cursor will be moved between two targets using a joystick and laptop computer and a stylus with a touch screen. The astronaut will also respond with a button press to auditory tones presented via earphones.

    This experiment will test the theory that the loss of eye-hand coordination during spaceflight is due to the disruption of certain neural circuits in the human brain, arising from a disruption in the vestibular system.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    A mini-centrifuge with daily sessions has been suggested as a means for countering the physiological effects of long-term space flight, e.g., a Mars mission. This raises the possibility of continual changes in eye-hand coordination as the gravity signal changes on a daily basis. Understanding the cause of coordination loss is therefore critical to developing countermeasures.

    Earth Applications

    Understanding how the brain adapts to physiological changes that the ISS crewmembers undergo will be applicable on Earth as well as space. The results from this experiment will give insight on how the brain overcomes stresses that are not normally part of the day-to-day life. This new information can be applied in many areas of research that deal with neurological diseases in order to provide improved treatments.

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    The PMDIS apparatus consists of a laptop computer with accessories. For the PMDIS measurements by the Shuttle's crew, the accessories include a joystick, a stylus and touchscreen, a pair of GFE-provided headphones for audio stimuli, and a Hand Reaction Switch box through which the astronaut responds to audio and visual stimuli. This experiment will have scheduling constraints. The crew may not exercise within 20 minutes before the session begins. The session must take place on the Shuttle Middeck.

    Operational Protocols

    During the PMDIS sessions, the crew will be seated on the middeck floor of the Space Shuttle, securely attach with a waist belt. Using a joystick connected to a laptop computer, the astronaut will move a display cursor between two targets. In other trials, the astronaut will tap targets on a touchscreen using a stylus. Also, the astronaut will listen to musical tones and press a button in response while hitting the targets to simulate multi-tasking.

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    Results/More Information

    Information Pending

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    Related Web Sites
  • CSA: Science

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    Publications

    Results Publications

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      Related Publications
      • Fowler B, Comfort D, Bock O. A review of cognitive and perceptual-motor performance in space. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. ;71 Suppl 9:A66-68. 2000
      • Fowler B, Manzey D. Summary of research issues in monitoring of mental and perceptual-motor performance and stress in space. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. ;71 Suppl 9:A76-77. 2000
      • Fowler B, Bock O, Comfort D. Is dual-task performance necessarily impaired in space? Human Factors. ;42:318-326. 2000

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      Images

      imageDemonstration of the use and setup of the PMDIS hardware in the Destiny Lab mock up at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX. Image courtesy of NASA, Johnson Space Center.
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      imageNASA Image: ISS014E09624 - Astronaut Suni Williams, Expedition 14 Flight Engineer, performs the Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) shortly after STS-116/12A.1 docked with ISS in December 2006.
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      imageNASA Image: ISS014E09626 - Expedition 14 Flight Engineer, Astronaut Suni Williams, performs the Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS). This investigation will test the hand-eye coordination of ISS crewmembers during their mission.
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      imageNASA Image: S117E07031 - Astronaut Clayton Anderson, Expedition 15 Flight Engineer, works with the Perceptual-Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Atlantis was docked with the station.
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      imageNASA Image: S117E07092 - Astronaut Patrick Forrester, STS-117 Mission Specialist, works with the Perceptual-Motor Deficits in Space (PMDIS) experiment in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Atlantis was docked with the station in June 2007.
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      Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office
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