Therapeutic Applications of Remote Aviation (T.A.R.A.): A Neuroergonomic Framework for Aerially Mediated Cognitive-Affective Modulation

Abstract

Recent advances in Neuroergonomics, Affective Computing, and Remote Aviation have begun to reveal how technologically mediated sensorimotor engagement can reshape cognitive–affective regulation. Building on these convergences, this paper introduces T.A.R.A. (Therapeutic Applications of Remote Aviation) as a neuroergonomic therapeutic framework that reconceptualizes small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) into interfaces for cognitive–emotional modulation. While prior work has primarily examined drone operation in the context of performance optimization, comparatively little attention has been given to their therapeutic potential, particularly their capacity to facilitate emotional reframing through visuospatial control.T.A.R.A. is a multi-layered system architecture that establishes an adaptive cognitive–emotional environment in which drones serve as “distance-regulated surrogates,” enabling the externalization of emotional state. A central feature of the system is the Aerial Biofeedback Loop, which infers autonomic and cognitive states through physiological indices such as lightweight EEG signals, and dynamically modulates flight parameters to guide users toward psychophysiological coherence. Rather than directly intervening at the level of the operator, T.A.R.A. achieves regulation indirectly by shaping the interaction environment itself. As such, T.A.R.A. positions itself not as a discrete intervention, but as a novel, testable paradigm that enables therapeutic transformation through the repurposing of Human machine interactions.

Keywords: Neuroergonomics, Therapeutic Applications, Mental Health, Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), Aerial Biofeedback

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007474