Explicit control of adaptive automation under different levels of environmental stress

This article examines the effectiveness of three different forms of explicit control of adaptive automation under low- and high-stress conditions, operationalised by different levels of noise. In total, 60 participants were assigned to one of three types of automation design (free, prompted and forced choice). They were trained for 4?h on a highly automated simulation of a process control environment, called AutoCAMS. This was followed by a 4-h testing session under noise exposure and quiet conditions. Measures of performance, psychophysiology and subjective reactions were taken. The results showed that all three modes of explicit control of adaptive automation modes were able to attenuate the negative effects of noise. This was partly due to the fact that operators opted for higher levels of automation under noise. It also emerged that forced choice showed marginal advantages over the two other automation modes. Statement of Relevance: This work is relevant to the design of adaptive automation since it emphasises the need to consider the impact of work-related stressors during task completion. During the presence of stressors, different forms of operator support through automation may be required than under more favourable working conditions.     

Pilot performance and preference for short cycles of automation in adaptive function allocation

The present experiment examined pilot response to the rapid cycling of automation. The experiment was conducted using a multi-task simulation environment consisting of tracking, fuel management, and system monitoring sub-tasks. Monitoring and fuel management sub-tasks were performed manually in all conditions. The tracking sub-task cycled between manual and automated control at fixed intervals of either 15, 30 or 60 sec. These cycle times were completely crossed with three levels of tracking difficulty giving nine within-subject conditions which lasted 5 min each. Performance was measured on each of the sub-tasks, as was pilot fatigue level and subjective workload for the respective conditions. Results indicated that both difficulty and cycle duration significantly affected tracking performance which was degraded with task difficulty and longer cycle times. Fuel management and system monitoring performance were unaffected by tracking difficulty and automation duration. However, a subsequent analysis was conducted using the 15 sec period immediately following each automation episode as a ‘window’ of performance. A different pattern of results was observed. Tracking performance was similarly affected by difficulty, but was no longer affected by cycle duration. Furthermore, fuel management error indicated a trend toward better performance in low difficulty conditions. Results illustrate micro trade-offs within sub-tasks and macro trade-offs between sub-tasks. Overall, the results support the contention that excessively short cycles of automation prove disruptive to performance in multi-task conditions.     

Experience of automation failures in training: effects on trust,automation bias,complacency and performance

This work examined the effects of operators’ exposure to various types of automation failures in training. Forty-five participants were trained for 3.5 h on a simulated process control environment. During training, participants either experienced a fully reliable, automatic fault repair facility (i.e. faults detected and correctly diagnosed), a misdiagnosis-prone one (i.e. faults detected but not correctly diagnosed) or a miss-prone one (i.e. faults not detected). One week after training, participants were tested for 3?h, experiencing two types of automation failures (misdiagnosis, miss). The results showed that automation bias was very high when operators trained on miss-prone automation encountered a failure of the diagnostic system. Operator errors resulting from automation bias were much higher when automation misdiagnosed a fault than when it missed one. Differences in trust levels that were instilled by the different training experiences disappeared during the testing session.

Practitioner Summary: The experience of automation failures during training has some consequences. A greater potential for operator errors may be expected when an automatic system failed to diagnose a fault than when it failed to detect one.     

A performance comparison of robust adaptive controllers: linear systems

We consider robust adaptive control designs for relative degree one, minimum phase linear systems of known high frequency gain. The designs are based on the dead-zone and projection modifications, and we compare their performance w.r.t. a worst case transient cost functional with a penalty on the ^∞ norm of the output, control and control derivative. We establish two qualitative results. If a bound on the ^∞ norm of the disturbance is known and the known a priori bound on the uncertainty level is sufficiently conservative, then it is shown that a dead-zone controller outperforms a projection controller. The complementary result shows that the projection controller is superior to the dead-zone controller when the a priori information on the disturbance level is sufficiently conservative.     

Human–automation teams and adaptable control for future air traffic management

The design and management of human–automation teams for future air traffic systems require an understanding of principles of cognitive systems engineering, allocation of function and team adaptation. The current article proposes a framework of human–automation team adaptable control that incorporates adaptable automation [Oppermann, R., Simm, H., 1994. Adaptability: user-initiated individualization. In: Oppermann, R. (Ed.), Adaptive User Support: Ergonomic Design of Manually and Automatically Adaptable Software. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ, pp. 14–64] with an Extended Control Model of Joint Cognitive System functioning [Hollnagel, E., Nåbo, A., Lau, I., 21–24 July 2003. A systemic model for driver-in-control. In: Paper Presented at the Second International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design, Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, Park City, UT] nested within a dynamic view of team adaptation [Burke, C.S., Stagl, K.C., Salas, E., Pierce, L., Kendall, D., 2006. Understanding team adaptation: a conceptual analysis and model. Journal of Applied Psychology 91, 1189–1207]. Modeling the temporal dynamics of the coordination of human–automation teams under conditions of Free Flight requires an appreciation of the episodic, cyclical nature of team processes from transition to action phases, along with the distinction of team processes from emergent states [Marks, M.A., Mathieu, J.E., Zaccaro, S.J., 2001. A temporally based framework and taxonomy of team processes. Academy of Management Review 26, 356–376]. The conceptual framework of human–automation team adaptable control provides a basis for future research and design.

Relevance to industry

The current article provides a conceptual framework to direct future investigations to determine the optimal design and management of Human–automation teams for Free Flight-based air traffic management systems.     

Comparison of a brain-based adaptive system and a manual adaptable system for invoking automation

OBJECTIVE: Two experiments are presented examining adaptive and adaptable methods for invoking automation. BACKGROUND: Empirical investigations of adaptive automation have focused on methods used to invoke automation or on automation-related performance implications. However, no research has addressed whether performance benefits associated with brain-based systems exceed those in which users have control over task allocations. METHOD: Participants performed monitoring and resource management tasks as well as a tracking task that shifted between automatic and manual modes. In the first experiment, participants worked with an adaptive system that used their electroencephalographic signals to switch the tracking task between automatic and manual modes. Participants were also divided between high- and low-reliability conditions for the system-monitoring task as well as high- and low-complacency potential. For the second experiment, participants operated an adaptable system that gave them manual control over task allocations. RESULTS: Results indicated increased situation awareness (SA) of gauge instrument settings for individuals high in complacency potential using the adaptive system. In addition, participants who had control over automation performed more poorly on the resource management task and reported higher levels of workload. A comparison between systems also revealed enhanced SA of gauge instrument settings and decreased workload in the adaptive condition. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that brain-based adaptive automation systems may enhance perceptual level SA while reducing mental workload relative to systems requiring user-initiated control. APPLICATION: Potential applications include automated systems for which operator monitoring performance and high-workload conditions are of concern.     

Combining electrodermal responses and cardiovascular measures for probing adaptive automation during simulated flight

Adaptive automation increases the operator's workload in case of hypovigilance and takes over more responsibility if workload becomes too high. Two consecutive studies were conducted to construct a biocybernetic adaptive system for a professional flight simulator, based on autonomic measures. Workload was varied through different stages of turbulences. In a first study with 18 participants, electrodermal responses of experimental subjects oscillated very close to the individual set point, demonstrating that workload level was adjusted as a result of adaptive control, which was not the case in yoked control subjects without adaptive automation. Combining electrodermal responses with heart rate variability in a second study with 48 participants further enhanced the adaptive power which was seen in even smaller set point deviations for the experimental compared to the yoked control group. We conclude that the level of arousal can be adjusted to avoid hypovigilance by combining autonomic measures in a closed loop.     

Back pain in the nursing profession I. Epidemiology and pilot methodology

Abstract

A survey of 3912 nurses suggests that 750,000 working days are lost annually from back pain and that 1 in 6.(159 per-1000 at risk) attributes the onset of pain to a patient-handling incident. Attempts to identify risk areas within nursing using point prevalence data have failed to confirm previous results using historical data (Stubbs et al 1980). Evidence is presented that suggests the conditions being assessed in each case are different. The need for further epidemiological data is emphasized together with ergonomic assessment of the tasks performed throughout the nursing profession. Such an assessment will form the foundation for safer systems of work within the National Health Service and, it is hoped, a reduction in the magnitude of the back pain problem.     

Linux下SANE Driver自动化测试工具的设计与实现

目前Linux下没有专门的SANEDriver测试工具。为解决此问题,以SANE标准为基础,结合对SANEDriver测试工具的具体需求,提出了一种基于脚本技术的设计和实现方案。该方案采用一种高效的遍历算法,降低了脚本的维护开销,提高了测试的自动化程度。     

Social stress and performance in human-machine interaction: a neglected research field

Abstract

Given the increasing capabilities of highly automated systems, the article argues for a need to address the issue of social stress in human-machine interaction. It suggests a classification system of subordinate concepts found in the research literature under the heading of social stress. A review of the literature revealed a paucity of studies examining the effects of social stressors on performance. In particular, the review showed a shortage of experimental lab-based work, needed to establish clear cause-effect relationships. The article examined the suitability of different social stressors for lab-based research, not only when humans are the source of stress but also in so-called hybrid teams where social stress is caused by machine agents. The review shows that a closer link is needed between the separate literature on social stress and automation. Finally, three mechanisms are proposed that may predict how social stress may affect performance: ‘blank-out’-mechanism, ‘rumination’-mechanism, and ‘increased-motivation’-mechanism.

Practitioner summary: Theories of ergonomics and human factors may benefit from better integration of research and theoretical work in the domain of social stress. This is due to the increasing capabilities of machines to induce social stress.

Abbreviations: HMI: human-machine interaction; TSST: trier social stress test     

关键字驱动自动化测试的原理和实现

由GUI自动化功能测试存在的问题,引出了一种以关键字驱动思想为指导的自动化测试模型。首先解释了关键字驱动思想的原理,进而根据这个原理介绍了一种自动化功能测试模型,详细讨论了这个模型的优越性,以及如何应用它来进行测试开发的流程。     

基于遗传模拟退火的广义T-S模糊模型的混沌系统辨识

针对混沌系统辨识引入广义T-S模糊模型,使系统中隶属函数具有自适应性;并对T-S模糊模型前件模糊规则数、各加权值、隶属函数自适应参数进行遗传退火算法优化,使系统具有最佳结构和参数。以一维的Logistic系统和二维的Henon系统为例进行仿真分析,结果表明辨识模型能够拟合原混沌系统,收敛速度及精度良好。     

Automated model generation for performance engineering of building automation networks

Large technical systems need to be designed both reliable and efficient. Specialized design tools offer therefore a simplified, abstract design and extend details autonomously in the background. Analytic and simulation based models could improve the quality by testing and dimensioning the design before implementation, but setting up the necessary models is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore many developers ask for analysis tools which are able to create their models from the available information in the design tools. This paper presents such an automated modeling approach basing on an existing design database at the example of a network analysis for building automation fieldbuses. The process of automated modeling is unfolded, and the potentials and limitations are discussed.     

电子政务与办公自动化初探

电子政务是政府信息化的主要形式。从发达国家政府信息化的经验来看，电子政务的推行可以解决两个问题：其一，可以有效地利用政府内部和外部资源．提高政府的工作效率。电子政务可以通过信息技术、办公自动化以及网络技术的普遍应用，把行政系统连接在一起，实现信息、知识、人力等各种资源的真正共享，提高包括信息资源在内的各种资源利用的效率；其二，可以大大降低政府的行政管理成本。电子政务使行政工作可以在一种全新的网络状态下进行，从而有效地降低行政管理成本。如虚拟办公、无纸化办公，以及政府部门之间跨部门、跨地区的电子交换作业、公文电子化处理等，都可以大大减少行政办公费用和公文处理的费用。另外，通过政府网上采购，又可以节约大量的人力、物力、财力和时间。     

电子政务与办公自动化初探

电子政务是政府信息化的主要形式。从发达国家政府信息化的经验来看,电子政务的推行可以解决两个问题:其一,可以有效地利用政府内部和外部资源,提高政府的工作效率。电子政务可以通过信息技术、办公自动化以及网络技术的普遍应用,把行政系统连接在一起,实现信息、知识、人力等各种资源的真正共享,提高包括信息资源在内的各种资源利用的效率;其二,可以大大降低政府的行政管理成本。电子政务使行政工作可以在一种全新的网络状态下进行,从而有效地降低行政管理成本。如虚拟办公、无纸化办公,以及政府部门之间跨部门、跨地区的电子交换作业、公文电子化处理等,都可以大大减少行政办公费用和公文处理的费用。另外,通过政府网上采购,又可以节约大量的人力、物力、财力和时间。     

工业自动化控制系统的设计

工业生产过程自动化系统经过长期不断的发展,特别是在充分利用计算机技术的基础上取得了很大的进步,在生产过程中已发挥其重要作用,成为生产过程安全、稳定、自动化运行不可缺少的工具。本文从工业生产自动化现状趋势、生产过程自动化系统和生产管理系统、软PLC和软DCS、生产过程控制和管理软件的融合等方面展开论述．从工业生产与自动化控制融合环节提出工业自动化控制系统设计的独特见解。     

工业自动化控制系统的设计

工业生产过程自动化系统经过长期不断的发展,特别是在充分利用计算机技术的基础上取得了很大的进步,在生产过程中已发挥其重要作用,成为生产过程安全、稳定、自动化运行不可缺少的工具。本文从工业生产自动化现状趋势、生产过程自动化系统和生产管理系统、软PLC和软DCS、生产过程控制和管理软件的融合等方面展开论述,从工业生产与自动化控制融合环节提出工业自动化控制系统设计的独特见解。     

Performance adaptive control General structure and a case study

This paper proposes a supervisory performance tuner for an adaptive controller. The objective of the performance tuner is to automatically adjust tuning parameters of an adaptive controller such that the actual setpoint-tracking and regulatory performance approaches user specifications and is maintained at this level at all times. Experimental evaluation of the prototype performance tuning loop with adaptive generalized predictive and pole placement controllers on a pilot-scale process demonstrates the practicality and utility of this idea.     

A robust adaptive dynamic surface control for linear systems

In this article, a robust output-feedback adaptive dynamic surface control (DSC) is proposed for linear time-invariant single-input single-output plants with unmodelled dynamics and unmeasurable output disturbance. With the proposed adaptive DSC scheme, the ‘explosion of terms’ problem inherent in backstepping control is eliminated and the adaptive law is necessary only at the first design step, which significantly reduces the design procedure. More importantly, it is proved that with an initialisation technique, the ?_∞ performance of the tracking error can be guaranteed even with unmodelled dynamics, bounded output disturbance exists and the plant high-frequency gain is unknown.     

新型交通监控指挥自动化系统设计

介绍了一种新型的城市道路交通自动化系统的设计思想,从设计和实现的角度讨论了系统的组成、功能及工作原理,并分析了其实现的关键技术。