Neuroergonomics
Neuroergonomics is the application of neuroscience to human performance in real-world settings. It focuses on how the brain functions during actual work, training, and decision-making in environments where performance matters.
Thanks to portable brain technology, brain function can now be measured outside the laboratory in a way that is practical, validated, and accurate. This allows cognitive load, attention, stress, and mental effort to be studied directly in the environments where people operate.
At Rotgans Research, we use this approach to better understand performance in complex settings and to support more targeted training, evaluation, and system improvement.
Our mission is to bring neuroscience out of the lab and into the real world, accelerating our understanding of human performance in the environments where it matters most.
Our work is currently focused on three high-stakes domains where performance, readiness, and decision-making matter most: healthcare, aviation, and defence.
Healthcare
Supporting performance and decision-making in demanding clinical environments.
Aviation
Understanding cognitive load and performance in complex operational settings.
Defence
Applying neuroscience to training, readiness, and performance under pressure.
Why it matters
Traditional performance measures often tell us what happened, but not what was happening mentally while a person was performing. Neuroergonomics adds that missing layer. By measuring brain function directly, it becomes possible to better understand cognitive load, mental effort, and the demands placed on people in complex environments.
How we measure brain function
At Rotgans Research, we use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain function in a practical and non-invasive way. By tracking changes in blood oxygenation, fNIRS provides insight into cognitive load, attention, and mental effort during real tasks.
Because fNIRS is portable, movement-tolerant, and suitable for real-time monitoring, it is especially useful in applied settings where traditional laboratory-based brain imaging is not practical.