[DC] IMMERCOG: Impact of Extreme Environments on Remote Operations in Critical Systems

Remote operation technologies play a critical role in fields such as medicine, defense, and space exploration, yet existing research often relies on controlled laboratory simulations that fail to capture the complexities of real-world environments. This doctoral project, IMMERCOG, investigates the impact of extreme conditions—such as underwater environments and real flight—on the psychophysiological states and performance of operators controlling remote systems. This research bridges the gap between controlled studies and real-world applications, aiming to advance human-machine interaction (HMI) for remote operations under stress.The project involves three experimental campaigns conducted using the same interface: a laboratory study to establish baseline operator performance using motion simulation, underwater teleoperation at varying depths to evaluate stress and cognitive impact, and in-flight teleoperation to address the challenges of controlling robots from a moving aircraft. Preliminary results highlight significant learning effects across tasks and notable performance differences between manual and autonomous control modes. These findings provide actionable insights for designing adaptive HMIs tailored to extreme conditions, contributing to the development of robust and efficient teleoperation systems.