Developing Human-Machine Interfaces to Support Monitoring of UAV Automation

Abstract : Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are rapidly becoming an integral part of contemporary military operations. In light of developments in UAV flight and payload technologies, the role of UAV operators is evolving into that of supervisory controller of complex automated system. However, it is well established that human operators perform poorly in this role. A growing body of literature points to the crucial role that trust in automation plays in determining the efficacy of human monitoring of automated systems. A recent compilation of research on trust in automation suggest that providing operators with information related to automation process and context-specific automation reliability is essential in promoting appropriate trust in automation. This report presents a research plan to create innovative design concepts for cognitive artifacts that communicate these two types of information to UAV operators for the purpose of engendering appropriate trust in automated systems. It includes a categorization of the emerging automation technologies in UAV systems, an analysis of the changing tasks of UAV crews, and a selective review of relevant human-automation research. The report then introduces two human-machine interface concepts for selected types of UAV automation and proposes a research plan for testing and evaluating these design concepts.