Admittance-adaptive model-based cancellation of biodynamic feedthrough

Biodynamic feedthrough (BDFT) is the feedthrough of vehicle accelerations through the human body, leading to involuntary control device inputs. BDFT is a relevant problem as it reduces control performance in a large range of vehicles under various circumstances. This paper proposes an approach to mitigate BDFT. What differentiates this method from other mitigation approaches is that it accounts for adaptations in the neuromuscular dynamics of the human body. It is known that BDFT is strongly dependent on these dynamics. The approach was tested, as proof-of-concept, in an experiment in a motion simulator where participants were asked to fly a simulated vehicle through a virtual tunnel. By evaluating the performance with and without motion disturbance active and with and without cancellation active, the performance of the cancellation approach was evaluated. Results showed that the cancellation approach was successful. The detrimental effects of BDFT, such as a decrease in control performance and increase in control effort, were largely removed.