The use of a tactile device to measure an illusion

A device known as the tactile perceived attitude transducer (TPAT) has been fabricated which makes use of the subject´s hand and forearm to describe perceived attitude. The first experiment involving the use of the TPAT was an attempt to quantify the G-excess effect. This effect is the basis for a pilot illusion that can cause overbanking of an aircraft. The G-excess illusion is an exaggerated sensation of body tilt caused by a greater than 1 Gz acceleration on the otolith organs of the vestibular system. The experimental design includes several tests of the TPAT as a cross modal measurement technique. The use of the TPAT in this experiment has resulted in an expanded and progressive experimental design which is considerably larger and more complex than a typical experiment on the DES (Dynamic Environment Simulator). However, the design provides a unique opportunity to carefully examine the cross modal matching of two metrics involved in a complex blending of the visual and vestibular systems