Presentations

CBC researchers present at the Military Health System Research Symposium and other scientific meetings. Posters and abstracts are provided below where releasable.

Predictive Detection of Cognitive Degradation in Operational Environments Using Wearable Sensors

Leslie Saxon, Jill Boberg, Matthew Bartels, Trevor Barrett
Center for Body Computing, USC Institute for Creative Technologies

Poster · Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2026 · August 3–6, 2026 · Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Kissimmee, FL
Abstract MHSRS-26-5107 · Board 2713 · Advanced Product Development

Across two National Training Center rotations (93 soldiers, 937 instrumented nights), a deliberately low-cost detection model built from three wearable sleep channels plus a single self-report item, each referenced to the soldier’s own baseline, identified same-day cognitive slowing more accurately in the unit under higher operational load (AUC 0.65 vs 0.58). More than half of objectively degraded person-days went unreported by the soldier.

Supported by CDMRP W81XWH-22-1-0956. 

Poster PDF
Research poster titled Predictive Detection of Cognitive Degradation in Operational Environments Using Wearable Sensors, presented at MHSRS 2026. Six panels present detection accuracy, sleep and cognitive measures, and the gap between objective impairment and self-report across two National Training Center rotations.

Physiologic Predictors of Cognitive Performance Variability in Operational Military Environments

Trevor Barrett, Jill Boberg, Matthew Bartels, Leslie Saxon
Center for Body Computing, USC Institute for Creative Technologies

Poster · Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2026 · August 3–6, 2026 · Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Kissimmee, FL
Abstract MHSRS-26-5118 · Board 2401 · Research
Under operational load, service members’ reaction-time variability rose roughly four times as much as their average speed (+17.5% versus +4.5%). This instability proved a moderately reliable individual trait varying five-fold across people, and no fielded wearable channel including heart-rate variability predicted it, with every effect formally equivalence-bounded to zero.
Supported by CDMRP W81XWH-22-1-0956.

Poster PDF
Research poster titled Physiologic Predictors of Cognitive Performance Variability in Operational Military Environments, presented at MHSRS 2026. Five panels present the rise in reaction-time variability under load, its correlation with average speed, individual differences in instability, and a null result for autonomic prediction.

A Service Member Facing Software Platform for Continuous Assessment and Optimization of Brain Health

Leslie A. Saxon, Jill Boberg, Matthew Bartels, Steve McLelland, Jim Lears, Trevor J. Barrett
Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California

Poster · Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2024 · August 26–29, 2024 · Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Kissimmee, FL 

Describes the CBC Lightning research platform: a purpose-built secure mobile application and wearable sensor array fielded to more than 500 active-duty participants across five units at four installations, integrating continuous physiologic, metabolic, psychological, and cognitive assessment with real-time data return to the Service Member. 

Supported by CDMRP W81XWH-22-1-0956; MOMRP W911NF-14-D-0005 Task Order 08; DEVCOM W911NF-14-D-0005 Task Order 01.

Poster PDF

Invited Briefings and Workshops 

Real-time Holistic Monitoring in Operational Training

Prepared for the DARPA Biological Technology Office (BTO) Combat Casualty Care Workshop · Winter 2026 

Standing line

CBC also briefs leading medical device, technology, and pharmaceutical companies on its research platform and findings.