Ability Of Human Operator Research Articles

Categorization of Select Cockpit Performance Evaluation Techniques.

INTRODUCTION: The modern aircraft cockpit has evolved into a complex system of systems. Numerous performance evaluation metrics and techniques exist that can measure the effectiveness of cockpit components in terms of how they influence the human operator's ability to perform tasks relevant to mission success. As no prior review of these metrics has been found in the literature, this effort attempts to do so, albeit without applying the metrics to a novel cockpit evaluation.METHODS: These metrics and techniques are discussed and presented in five defined categories as they relate to evaluating cockpit subsystems: ergonomics and anthropometrics; human-computer interaction; data management and presentation; crew resource management and operations; and ingress and egress.DISCUSSION: While this effort is significant and novel, it is not necessarily comprehensive. In conclusion, it is noted that no single holistic quantitative metric to evaluate cockpit design and performance yet exists. Utilizing some of the preexisting metrics presented to develop such a metric would be beneficial in efforts to evaluate aircraft cockpit designs and performance, as well as aiding future cockpit designs.Brighton EM, Klaus DM. Categorization of select cockpit performance evaluation techniques. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2023; 94(9):696-704.

Assimilation Control of a Robotic Exoskeleton for Physical Human-Robot Interaction

The ability of human operators in estimating the partners’ motion intention and utilizing it for collaboration brings valuable enlightenment to human-robot systems. Motivated by these observations, this letter introduces an assimilation control method that reshapes the physical interaction trajectory in the interaction task, which enables the exoskeleton robot to estimate the subject’s virtual target from the interaction force and adapt its own behavior. Under the assumption that the virtual target is determined by the control gains, the stability of the human-robot system is guaranteed, and the proposed scheme realizes continuous interaction behaviors from cooperation to competition. Then an adaptive controller is designed to enable the robot to directly deal with uncertain dynamics and joint space constraints. The experiment verifies how the assimilation control method assists the subjects in a collaborative execution or gradually competes with them to avoid collisions. Compared with related literature, our approach is able to realize safe manipulation (e.g., obstacle avoidance) and broader interaction behaviors by reshaping the interactive trajectory using force feedback only, without continuous manual guidance as in many existing methods.

Haptic Teleoperation of UAVs Through Control Barrier Functions

This article presents a novel approach to haptic teleoperation. Specifically, we use control barrier functions (CBFs) to generate force feedback to help human operators safely fly quadrotor UAVs. CBFs take a control signal as input and output a control signal that is as close as possible to the initial control signal, while also meeting specified safety constraints. In the proposed method, we generate haptic force feedback based on the difference between a command issued by the human operator and the safe command returned by a CBF. In this way, if the user issues an unsafe control command, the haptic feedback will help guide the user towards the safe input command that is closest to their current command. We conducted a within-subject user study, in which 12 participants flew a simulated UAV in a virtual hallway environment. Participants completed the task with our proposed CBF-based haptic feedback, no haptic feedback, and haptic feedback generated via parametric risk fields, which is a state-of-the-art method described in the literature. The results of this study show that CBF-based haptic feedback can improve a human operator's ability to safely fly a UAV and reduce the operator's perceived workload, without sacrificing task efficiency.

Framework for Human Haptic Perception With Delayed Force Feedback

Time delays in haptic teleoperation affect the ability of human operators to assess mechanical properties (damping, mass, and stiffness) of the remote environment. To address this, we propose a unified framework for human haptic perception of the mechanical properties of environments with delayed force feedback. In a first experiment, we found that the delay in the force feedback led our subjects to underestimate all the three mechanical properties. Moreover, subjects perceived additional damping or stiffness properties that the environment did not possess. It was found that the extents of these changes in the perception depend on both time-delay magnitude and the frequency of the movement with which subjects interacted with the environment. This was due to the fact that subjects were not able to distinguish the delay-caused phase shift in the movement–force relation from changes in the three mechanical properties. Based on this, we proposed a framework that allowed for a prediction of the change associated with delayed force in perception of mass–spring–damper environments. The framework was corroborated by a second experiment, in which a combined mass–damper environment was tested. Our hypotheses that the delay would cause subjects to underestimate the mass but overestimate the damping and that the extents of the under- and overestimation would differ between individual subjects due to the difference in the interaction frequency were confirmed.

Connecting Ship Operation and Architecture in Ship Design Processes

It is challenging to deal with the operation of ships by crew members in ship design processes. This is important because the efficiency and safety of ship operations ultimately depends on the ability of human operators to use the technological systems designed for them, no matter how well the technology might perform. The challenge is that there are limited ship design processes combining coherent coevolution of ship architecture and ship operation. I propose a framework that helps ship designers connect the operation of ships by human operators with the design of ships and ship systems. 1. Introduction Analysis of the actual uses of ship systems by human operators can inform the design of ships and ship systems with the aim of making them safe and efficient to use. However, this analysis is challenging because human-centered design (HCD) methods are not common in ship design practice and research (Lützhöft 2004; Lundh et al. 2011; Lurås & Mainsah 2013; Costa & Lützhöft 2014; Abeysiriwardhane et al. 2015). This research explores how HCD methods can be introduced to the ship design process. In this article, I present a set of human-centered methods structured into a framework that connects the operation of ships by human operators with the design of ships and ship systems. Rothblum (2000) states that designers need to understand the tasks of the human operators during ship operations and use this understanding to create designs that are compatible with all the systems the ship users interact with. Research on ship accident statistics supports the importance of this claim and shows that most accidents are connected to errors by human operators in their use of and interaction with ship systems (Kataria et al. 2015; Praetorius et al. 2015). There are good reasons to suppose that, similar to safety, the efficiency of ship operations is also closely connected to how ship systems enable the human operators to perform their tasks efficiently.

Sensorless and adaptive admittance control of industrial robot in physical human−robot interaction

Abstract As industrial robots are applied in manufacturing industry on a large-scale and human intelligence is regarded as an important part in manufacturing, physical human−robot interaction (pHRI) which integrates the strength and accuracy of robot with human operator's ability of task cognition has drawn the attention of both academia and industry. However, an industrial robot without extra force/torque sensor for interacting force monitoring cannot be used directly in pHRI, and research on pHRI of industrial robots remains a challenge. In this research, a comprehensive dynamic model of an industrial robot in both dynamic mode and quasi-static mode is obtained to calculate the external force produced by human operator in pHRI and enables sensorless pHRI for industrial robots even in the environment with ambient vibration. Particularly, the dynamics in the process of mode switching which has not been investigated by researchers is studied and compensated by an empirical but effective method. Admittance control is used to transfer the detected force into reference position and velocity of the robot. RBF (Radial Basis Function) network is used to update the damping parameter online in order to reduce the contact force change and the contact force which makes pHRI more natural and easier. The stability of the controller is also discussed. The proposed methods of external force detection and adaptive admittance control show satisfactory behaviour in the experiments.

From Here to Autonomy.

As autonomous and semiautonomous systems are developed for automotive, aviation, cyber, robotics and other applications, the ability of human operators to effectively oversee and interact with them when needed poses a significant challenge. An automation conundrum exists in which as more autonomy is added to a system, and its reliability and robustness increase, the lower the situation awareness of human operators and the less likely that they will be able to take over manual control when needed. The human-autonomy systems oversight model integrates several decades of relevant autonomy research on operator situation awareness, out-of-the-loop performance problems, monitoring, and trust, which are all major challenges underlying the automation conundrum. Key design interventions for improving human performance in interacting with autonomous systems are integrated in the model, including human-automation interface features and central automation interaction paradigms comprising levels of automation, adaptive automation, and granularity of control approaches. Recommendations for the design of human-autonomy interfaces are presented and directions for future research discussed.

Integrity Assessment Scheme for Situational Awareness in Utility Automation Systems

Today's more reliable communication technology, together with the availability of higher computational power, have paved the way for introduction of more advanced automation systems based on distributed intelligence and multi-agent technology. However, abundance of data, while making these systems more powerful, can at the same time act as their biggest vulnerability. In a web of interconnected devices and components functioning within an automation framework, potential impact of malfunction in a single device, either through internal failure or external damage/intrusion, may lead to detrimental side-effects spread across the whole underlying system. The potentially large number of devices, along with their inherent interrelations and interdependencies, may hinder the ability of human operators to interpret events, identify their scope of impact and take remedial actions if necessary. Through utilization of the concepts of graph-theoretic fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM) and expert systems, this paper puts forth a solution that is able to reveal weak links and vulnerabilities of an automation system, should it become exposed to partial internal failure or external damage. A case study has been performed on the IEEE 34-bus test distribution system to show the efficiency of the proposed scheme.

Enhanced UAS Surveillance Using a Video Utility Metric

A successful mission for an Unmanned Air System (UAS) often depends on the ability of human operators to utilize data collected from onboard imaging sensors. Many hours are spent preparing and executing flight objectives, putting a tremendous burden on human operators both before and during the flight. We seek to automate the planning process to reduce the workload for UAS operators while also optimizing the quality of the collected video stream. We first propose a metric based on an existing image utility metric to estimate the utility of video captured by onboard cameras. We then use this metric to not only plan the UAS flight path, but also the path of the camera's optical axis projected along the terrain and the zoom level. Since computing an optimal solution is NP-hard and therefore infeasible, we subsequently describe a staged sub-optimal path planning approach to autonomously plan the UAS flight path and sensor schedule. We apply these algorithms to precompute UAS and sensor paths for a surveillance mission over a specified region. Simulated and actual flight test results are included.

Classifying human operator functional state based on electrophysiological and performance measures and fuzzy clustering method.

The human operator's ability to perform their tasks can fluctuate over time. Because the cognitive demands of the task can also vary it is possible that the capabilities of the operator are not sufficient to satisfy the job demands. This can lead to serious errors when the operator is overwhelmed by the task demands. Psychophysiological measures, such as heart rate and brain activity, can be used to monitor operator cognitive workload. In this paper, the most influential psychophysiological measures are extracted to characterize Operator Functional State (OFS) in automated tasks under a complex form of human-automation interaction. The fuzzy c-mean (FCM) algorithm is used and tested for its OFS classification performance. The results obtained have shown the feasibility and effectiveness of the FCM algorithm as well as the utility of the selected input features for OFS classification. Besides being able to cope with nonlinearity and fuzzy uncertainty in the psychophysiological data it can provide information about the relative importance of the input features as well as the confidence estimate of the classification results. The OFS pattern classification method developed can be incorporated into an adaptive aiding system in order to enhance the overall performance of a large class of safety-critical human-machine cooperative systems.

Coaxial Needle Insertion Assistant With Enhanced Force Feedback

Many medical procedures involving needle insertion into soft tissues, such as anesthesia, biopsy, brachytherapy, and placement of electrodes, are performed without image guidance. In such procedures, haptic detection of changing tissue properties at different depths during needle insertion is important for needle localization and detection of subsurface structures. However, changes in tissue mechanical properties deep inside the tissue are difficult for human operators to sense, because the relatively large friction force between the needle shaft and the surrounding tissue masks the smaller tip forces. A novel robotic coaxial needle insertion assistant, which enhances operator force perception, is presented. This one-degree-of-freedom cable-driven robot provides to the operator a scaled version of the force applied by the needle tip to the tissue, using a novel design and sensors that separate the needle tip force from the shaft friction force. The ability of human operators to use the robot to detect membranes embedded in artificial soft tissue was tested under the conditions of 1) tip force and shaft force feedback, and 2) tip force only feedback. The ratio of successful to unsuccessful membrane detections was significantly higher (up to 50%) when only the needle tip force was provided to the user.

Adaptive Automation of Human-Machine System Information-Processing Functions

The goal of this research was to describe the ability of human operators to interact with adaptive automation (AA) applied to various stages of complex systems information processing, defined in a model of human-automation interaction. Forty participants operated a simulation of an air traffic control task. Automated assistance was adaptively applied to information acquisition, information analysis, decision making, and action implementation aspects of the task based on operator workload states, which were measured using a secondary task. The differential effects of the forms of automation were determined and compared with a manual control condition. Results of two 20-min trials of AA or manual control revealed a significant effect of the type of automation on performance, particularly during manual control periods as part of the adaptive conditions. Humans appear to better adapt to AA applied to sensory and psychomotor information-processing functions (action implementation) than to AA applied to cognitive functions (information analysis and decision making), and AA is superior to completely manual control. Potential applications of this research include the design of automation to support air traffic controller information processing.

Rapid Human‐Assisted Creation of Bounding Models for Obstacle Avoidance in Construction

Abstract: State‐of‐the‐art construction equipment control technology creates the opportunity to implement automated and semiautomated object avoidance for improved safety and efficiency during operation; however, methods for constructing models of local objects or volumes in real‐time are required. A practical, interactive method for doing so is described here. The method: (1) exploits a human operator's ability to quickly recognize significant objects or clusters of objects in a scene, (2) exploits the operator's ability to acquire sparse range point clouds of the objects quickly, and then (3) renders models, such as planes, boxes, and generalized convex hulls, to be displayed graphically as visual feedback during equipment operation and/or for making proximity calculations in an obstacle detection system. Experiments were performed in which test subjects were asked to model objects of varying complexity and clutter. These models were then compared to control models using a ray‐tracing algorithm to determine the operator's ability to create conservative models that are critical to construction operations. To demonstrate the applicability of the modeling method to obstacle avoidance, a scripted motion robot simulation was conducted using an artificial potential formulation that monitors position (closest point on manipulator link to nearest obstacle) as well as velocity (link inertia). Experimental results indicate that bounding models can be created rapidly and with sufficient accuracy for obstacle avoidance with the aid of human intelligence and that human‐assisted modeling can be very beneficial for real‐time construction equipment control.

Misuse and Disuse of Automated AIDS

A general model of automation use, which proposes that cognitive, social, and motivational processes may lead to productivity loss of human-computer teams is briefly described and data from four experiments testing aspects of the model are presented. Automation use is determined, in part, by the perceived utility of the aid, which is the outcome of a comparison process between the human operator's ability and the reliability of the aid. Perceived utility, however, is affected by a bias towards automation and by self-serving biases.

Quantification of Pavement Rut Depth Using Stereovision Technology

An attempt to investigate the potential capabilities and accuracy of the PC-based stereovision system in quantification of pavement rut depth was performed. This process was demonstrated using three rutted sections of flexible pavement. Selected highway pavement sections were chosen, using representative criteria that assured randomness in the studied parameters, for semiautomatic rut depth quantification. Surface measurements were represented by two-dimensional and three-dimensional plots, as well as contour maps for the rutted areas. Results obtained by this technique were compared with those obtained by the manual conventional method using a straightedge to check accuracy. Comparison with the manual (conventional) method showed that stereovision using dual charged-coupled device cameras mounted on a stand on a moving vehicle has a consistent potential accuracy of about one pixel (i.e., about 1.5 cm) on average in measuring the rut depth for the three sections. This result was compatible with the human operator's ability to point to the conjugate image points, which has a potential accuracy of about one to two pixels. Advantages of using the stereovision technique to quantify rut depth include remoteness, safety, and real-time potential due to the use of digital images.

Reliability of brain structure morphometry in hydrocephalic children using MR images

To assess the ability of human operators to make decisions about region boundaries in significantly malformed brains, we performed a study of the reliability of morphometric measurements of specific brain structures from MRI in children with hydrocephalus and controls. Cross-sectional area measures of the corpus callosum, internal capsules and centrum semiovale, and volumes of the lateral ventricles were made in 50 children. Independent measurements were made by two raters on T 1 and T 2-weighted MR images. Pearson's correlation coefficients ( r) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) between the two rater's sets of measures were computed for each structure across all subjects. ICCs ranged from a low of 0.7502 to a high of 0.9895. All ICCs were significant at the p < .0001 level and were generally less than or equal to the corresponding Pearson's r value in every case. Therefore, the Pearson's r may overestimate the reliability. The results of this study support the claim that the ICC should be used rather than the Pearson's r when assessing interater reliability in situations where large between-group differences are present. In addition, the results show that brains malformed by disorders, such as hydrocephalus, can be reliably assessed using morphometric measures of MR images.

Analysis of the Human Operator Controlling a Teleoperated Microsurgical Robot

In the design and construction of force-reflecting interfaces the properties of the human operator using the interface must be considered. Two components of the human operator system are of particular importance, namely the biomechanical and sensory processing subsystems. In order to feed back information about contact forces and the mechanical properties of objects being manipulated by the robot it is essential to know the operator’s sensitivity to changes in force, stiffness and viscosity and the gain and bandwidth required to feed back this information. Psychophysical studies have demonstrated that the ability of human operators to resolve changes in stiffness and viscosity is inferior to that for force. This means that if an operator controlling a robot is required to detect changes in stiffness or viscosity, then small changes will have to be scaled up in order for the operator to detect them consistently.

Graphical Interfaces to Complex Systems: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

There seems to be a clear consensus that graphical interfaces provide an opportunity to integrate data from complex process in a way that can greatly enhance the problem solving ability of human operators in the future. However, this consensus is maske by a proliferation of terms to express this position in the basic and applied research literatures (e.g., “integrality,” “configurality,” “proximity-compatibility,” “visual momentum,” “direct manipulation,” and “ecological interface”). While the subtle nuances that distinguish among these terms are of academic interest, designers have greater concern for the general principles that might be gleaned from across the subtle distinctions. Base on a thorough review of the basic and applied literature (Bennett &amp; Flach, In press), we argue that there is one basic characteristic of graphical representations that is critical for supporting problem solving. A good graphical display is one whose geometric (space/time) constraints reflect the functional constraints in the proess being represented. In this presentation, we will demonstrate what we mean by a “functional constraint” in a process and a “geometric constraint” in a display. We will demonstrate alternative mappings from “functional constraints” to “geometric constraints.” We will also discuss the implications of these mappings for the type of processing (cognitive versus perceptual) required of the human operator.

人間一機械系における手先の微細調整について

There are few studies on man-machine system to clarify the delicate behavior of human hand which is observed in an assembling line and so on. The purpose of this study is to make clear such delicate behavior of human hand in the man-machine system. From this point of view, the compensatory tracking system is constructed and each significance of various factors which may affect on the experiment is inferred by the method of variance analysis. Especially, to clarify the delicate behavior of human hand, the control sticks which are operated by the small movement of fingers are used. Each control stick is supported by a spring, which has small compliance, on the work table, so that the fingers of human operator can accept the reaction force which is proportional to the displacement of the control stick. Through whole experiments on this study, the following facts are made clear comparing with other researches as (1) adaptability of human operator to the change of the system loop gain ; (2) control ability of human operator for the difference of control sticks ; (3) adaptability of human operator to the input bandwidth ; and (4) relation between the control ability of human operator and the input magnitude.

The reconstruction of mutilated english texts

The ability of human operators to correct mutilations in printed English texts was studied for a variety of mutilations. The average person, given limited time to work, will not be able to correct passages perfectly if more than 10% of the characters are mutilated; the job is most difficult if the mutilation consists of random substitutions of erroneous characters. With superior persons and unlimited time, however, it is possible to abbreviate passages as much as 50%, either by omitting alternate characters or by omitting all the vowels and the space between words. These results correspond to a lower bound of 60% for the redundancy of printed English.