Physiological Issues in UAS

This week's blog post focuses on the consumption of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by UAS operators, and the effect of stress and fatigue on safe UAS operations. These two topics are related as certain OTC medications that are formulated to treat the effects of stress and fatigue may not be safe for consumption by UAS operators before flight.

Which OTC medications do you think pose the most significant risk to UAS operators? Why?

OTC medication that have properties or even have the potential to lead to cognitive impairment would pose the most significant risks to UAS operators. Any OTC drugs that have anti-cholinergic properties should be avoided at all cost as these drugs slows down the neurotransmitters in the human body that impacts the brains ability the retain memory and information. There are very well known and common drugs that can be bought over the counter that have anti-cholinergic properties, these include medication used for conditions such as high blood pressure, sleeping pills, allergies, diarrhea and even heartburn.

What do you think are the most effective mitigation strategies from a human factors perspective that operators can use when conducting UAS operations?

I believe that educating clients with the FAA regulations regarding the use of medication would be a great mitigation strategy as this would assist in a client understanding the reasons why a certain operation might have to be postponed due to medical reasons. This would avoid legal action or prosecution in the event of something going wrong.

Describe how fatigue and stress affect the safe operation of UAS.

Stress elevates certain hormones such as cortisol and in turn reduces dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that assist in memory retention which may be great for a student during exams however, studies have proven that stress reduces cognitive ability. Fatigue, chronic or acute, reduces our ability to concentrate and maintain high levels of alertness required for the safe operation of a UAS. Both stress and fatigue have a detrimental effect on the safe operation of UAS.