The Effects of a Computer-Aided Teleoperation Technology on Operator Workload and Performance of Concurrent Tasks.

Abstract

The feedback limited control system (FELICS) is a computer-aided teleoperation (CAT) technology that enables the remote operator to designate an extended path that the vehicle will automatically follow. This report describes the methodology and results of a study designed to quantify the effects of this technology on remote driving performance and operator workload in both single and dual task conditions. In the dual task condition, the operator's ability to detect and identify targets while driving was also measured. These data were compared with those obtained when the same vehicle was operated in the standard mode of remote driving. The study was conducted on an indoor test course consisting of five segments: straight-aways, turns, serpentine, figure 8, and obstacle avoidance. Generally, for most segments of the course, greater speeds and fewer errors (p <.001) were achieved by subjects who drove the vehicle in the standard mode. In this mode, subjects rated the effort they expended as being less (p <.05) than did those subjects who operated the vehicle in the CAT mode. A significant relationship was found across driving modes between the distance traveled off the road and the subjects' assessment of their performance (p <.05). An association was also found between the subjects' level of frustration and the number of obstacles hit in the obstacle avoidance segment of the course (p <.05). When subjects were required to detect and identify targets while driving, driving speed in both modes decreased significantly (p <.001). In the CAT mode, the distance traveled off the road in turns and in the serpentine segments increased (p <.05), but driving error in the standard mode on these and other segments of the course was unaffected. Fewer targets were also correctly identified in the CAT mode than in the standard mode of remote operation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA307051

Entities

People

  • Francis W. Breitenbach
  • Jock O. Grynovicki
  • Monica M. Glumm

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Collision Avoidance
  • Computers
  • Control Systems
  • Feedback
  • Frustration
  • Standards
  • Teleoperation
  • Workload

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.