Interfaces for Ground and Air Military Robots
WORKSHOP SUMMARY
Tal Oron-Gilad, rapporteur
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Grant No. W911NF-04-1-0277 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Army. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2005). Interfaces for Ground and Air Military Robots: Workshop Summary. Tal Oron-Gilad, rapporteur. Planning Committee for the Workshop on Scalable Interfaces for Air and Ground Military Robots. Committee on Human Factors. Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR THE WORKSHOP ON SCALABLE INTERFACES FOR AIR AND GROUND MILITARY ROBOTS
PETER A. HANCOCK (Chair),
Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando
JOHN D. LEE,
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City
JOEL S. WARM,
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati
ANNE S. MAVOR, Director
SUSAN R. McCUTCHEN, Research Associate
DEBORAH M. JOHNSON, Senior Project Assistant
COMMITTEE ON HUMAN FACTORS
RAJA PARASURAMAN (Chair),
Department of Psychology, George Mason University
JOHN M. CARROLL,
Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
ROBYN DAWES,
Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University
DONALD FISHER,
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
MARTHA GRABOWSKI,
Department of Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Information Systems Programs, LeMoyne College
PETER A. HANCOCK,
Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando
DANIEL R. ILGEN,
Department of Psychology and Department of Management, Michigan State University, East Lansing
RICHARD J. JAGACINSKI,
Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus
BONNIE E. JOHN,
Human-Computer Interaction Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
KURT KRAIGER,
Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, OK
JOHN D. LEE,
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City
WILLIAM S. MARRAS,
Institute for Ergonomics and Department of Industrial, Welding, and Systems Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
RICHARD W. PEW, BBN
Technologies, Cambridge, MA
ROBERT G. RADWIN,
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison
JOEL S. WARM,
Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati
GREG L. ZACHARIAS,
Charles River Analytics, Cambridge, MA
ANNE S. MAVOR, Director
SUSAN R. McCUTCHEN, Research Associate
Preface
The Committee on Human Factors was established in 1980 by the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Over the years, the committee has pursued a wide range of topics dealing with theoretical and methodological issues and with the application of principles of human behavior and performance to the design of systems. Recent interests have included the development and application of principles of human-system interface design to current and planned military systems involving human operators.
In this context, the Committee on Human Factors was asked by the Army Research Laboratory to hold a workshop on scalable interfaces for air and ground military robots. In response, a subgroup of the committee was appointed by the National Research Council to plan and organize the workshop. Key participants from both the engineering and human factors communities were identified and asked to make presentations. These presentations focused on current developments in military robotic systems and the requirements for operator interfaces used to control these systems. Presentations are available electronically at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bcsse/Presentations.html.
A primary objective of the workshop was to examine the application of scalable interfaces across military robotic systems. Scalable can refer to interfaces that share a common purpose but may be mounted on different vehicles and used for different purposes. The design may, at different times, be guided by principles based on common look and feel, definition of func-
tions, logic of the software and the intelligence behind the robot, and functionality. At present, progress in designing scalable interfaces is very much contingent on the state of the art of interface design, the evolving nature of the remote system to be controlled, and the resident capacities of the respective military users.
We would like to thank Michael Barnes from the Army Research Laboratory for supporting this effort and for his interest, insights, and helpful suggestions. We would also like to extend our appreciation to National Research Council staff, Anne Mavor, Susan McCutchen, and Deborah Johnson, for their assistance in planning and organizing the workshop.
This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the National Research Council. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Jessie Y.C. Chen, Human Research & Engineering Directorate, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Orlando, FL; Rene Jos. de Pontbriand, S&T Integration/Human-Robot Interaction, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, APG, MD; and John D. Lee, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Iowa.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Raja Parasuraman, Department of Psychology, George Mason University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author and the institution.
Peter A. Hancock, Chair
Planning Committee
