Mission Control of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Workload Analysis

Abstract

With unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), 36 licensed pilots flew both single-UAV and dual-UAV simulated military missions. Pilots were required to navigate each UAV through a series of mission legs in one of the following three conditions: a baseline condition, an auditory autoalert condition, and an autopilot condition. Pilots were responsible for (a) mission completion, (b) target search, and (c) systems monitoring. Results revealed that both the autoalert and the autopilot automation improved overall performance by reducing task interference and alleviating workload. The autoalert system benefited performance both in the automated task and mission completion task, whereas the autopilot system benefited performance in the automated task, the mission completion task, and the target search task. Practical implications for the study include the suggestion that reliable automation can help alleviate task interference and reduce workload, thereby allowing pilots to better handle concurrent tasks during single- and multiple-UAV flight control.

Automation Reliability in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Control: A Reliance-Compliance Model of Automation Dependence in High Workload

“…As hypothesized (H1), automation reliability effects were also seen most strongly in high-workload situations. Perfect automation had a beneficial effect, relative to baseline, on performance in the automated task, but it had no benefit on concurrent task performance, replicating Metzger and Parasuraman (2005) and previous UAV studies (e.g., Dixon et al, 2005). Importantly, imperfect automation (67%) hurt both the automated task and concurrent tasks, even dropping these below baseline in some cases.…”

Auditory Decision Aiding in Supervisory Control of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

“…In a meta-analysis of 43 previous studies, Burke et al (2006) concluded that dual coding information on the visual and auditory, or visual and tactile modalities enhances performance, while potentially decreasing workload. Currently, discrete auditory alerts are used in UAV operations as a supplement to visual information, and research shows that providing audio alerts to UAV operators enhances their performance in monitoring automated tasks, as well as their overall mission performance (Dixon, Wickens, & Chang, 2005). A notable benefit for auditory presentation is its effectiveness at representing simple events occurring in time and requiring immediate action (Deatherage, 1972;Sorkin, 1987).…”

Potential performance theory (PPT): Describing a methodology for analyzing task performance

“…Automation studies in the past 20 years have attempted to explain the interaction between humans and automation during performance tasks (e.g., Bainbridge, 1983;Dixon & Wickens, 2006;Dixon, Wickens, & Chang, 2005;Dixon, Wickens, & McCarley, 2007;Lee & Moray, 1994;Parasuraman & Riley, 1997;Parasuraman, Sheridan, & Wickens, 2000;Rice, in press;Rice et al, in press;. Unfortunately, most of these studies do not analyze gained by improving their strategy, some by improving their consistency, and some by improving both.…”