Shared control is the sharp end of cooperation: Towards a common framework of joint action, shared control and human machine cooperation

Abstract

As an introduction to the session of shared and cooperative control, this article will briefly look into the history, start with definitions and sketch a common framework of shared and cooperative control that sees the two phrases not as different concepts, but as different perspectives or foci on a common design space of shared intentionality, control and cooperation between humans and machines. One working hypothesis which the session will explore is that shared control can be understood as cooperation at the control level, while human machine cooperation can include shared control, but can also extend towards cooperation at higher levels, e.g. of guidance and navigation, of maneuvers and goals. We propose to view the relationship between shared control and human-machine cooperation as being similar to the relationship between the sharp, pointy tip and the (blunt) shaft of a spear. Shared control is where cooperation comes sharply into effect at the control level, but to be truly effective it should be supported by cooperation on all levels of interaction beyond the control level, e.g. on the guidance and navigation level

A human centric framework for the analysis of automated driving systems based on meaningful human control

“…We do not mean to dig into each area of control and describe them, but we do need to state what control entails and why adding the term 'meaningful human' to it as a concept is important for automated driving. In regard to human machine cooperation, Flemisch et al (2016) described control as 'the power to influence the course of events' and applied to human machine systems, which ADS is, control is described as the ability 'to influence the situation so that it develops or stays in a way preferred by the controlling agent' . A major argument of MHC is that the controlling agent should always be a human or should relate to a human.…”

“…Accordingly, human factors plays an important role in determining what is meaningful. Flemisch et al (2016) also mentions that various forms of Situation awareness (SA) have been defined to support cooperation in the perception and the understanding of the situation (Endsley 1995;Salmon et al 2008;Shu and Furuta 2005). And indeed, SA is a key aspect of attaining MHC, but in itself is not control but part of the control sequence.…”

“…They state that driver availability is not just an absolute description of the current driver state but a relative assessment that is influenced by the situational demands as it take the requirements of control transition into account and also maintains a focus on the relation between the occupation of attentional resources and the requirements for safe driving (Marberger et al 2017). Based on (explicit or implicit) understanding of good or bad situations, actors perceive the world and influence the situation by using their abilities to act, thereby forming control loops (Flemisch et al 2016). This is what makes MHC unique, but all the more necessary.…”

Simultaneous achievement of driver assistance and skill development in shared and cooperative controls

“…The important factors in skill training-workload reduction, offering feedback, and encouraging active participation, as described in section 3.1-can be achieved by a collaborative DAS based on the nature of "cooperation" (F. Flemisch et al 2016) in shared and cooperative controls. Table 2 shows the relationship between the training concepts introduced in section 3.1 and the types of assistance in cooperative DAS and methods for adjusting task difficulty.…”

“…Some DASs are cooperatively involved with the driver in driving. There are many types of DAS with cooperation, including control and cooperative control, which are related as discussed in the work of Flemisch et al (2016) and . It is also expected that collaborative DASs will be used in improving driver skills (Hirokawa et al 2014).…”