Cognitive and physical survival and sustainability of individuals

The Haldane-Spearman Consortium will provide access to research expertise, high-impact solutions, and rapid exploitation of research findings, for example, fatigue or workload management to mitigate limitations that degrade performance and increase error. A socio-technical approach will aid in optimising the psychological and physiological processes that occur when interacting with complex technology during coalition or multi-national operations.

We have expertise in work on coping with environmental stressors such as heat and cold, high and low pressures, noise, vibration, acceleration, sleep loss, fatigue, dehydration, and inadequate energy and nutrition. Solutions have included pharmacological strategies, nutritional interventions, improved clothing and equipment, acclimation, validating physical selection standards, improved education, and the development and application of models to guide operational analysis and tactical modelling or policy. Our knowledge of novel weapon technology could help establish future requirements for protective mitigation and their impact on humans.

All aspects of survival and sustainability research can be encompassed by the Consortium, from occupational health and fitness to specific environmental, medical (e.g. disease prophylaxis) and operational threats requiring collection, analysis, and management of data. Approaches to mitigation and practical solutions will be prioritised, developed and exploited.

Training the body and mind to cope with stressors helps optimise performance and sustainability, and both biological and technical approaches require consideration. The Haldane-Spearman Consortium could propose mitigation strategies and policy changes that would enable improvements through both these areas.

Human physical and psychological performance has inherent limits, and operating close to these limits for sustained periods makes error and injury more likely. Identifying, evaluating and adopting countermeasures, whether internal (optimising the body itself) or external (e.g., enhanced functionality within clothing), offers means for enabling enhanced operational effectiveness, and the Consortium is fully equipped to perform these assessments and determine the most effective improvements.

We can also assess the effectiveness, practicality and value of mitigation strategies, for example the efficacy of acclimation and acclimatisation programmes developed under controlled scientific conditions may be very different when employed in real-life conditions.