Empirical Human Performance Modeling to Inform the Design of Performance Support Applications
Abstract
In unmanned vehicles, the operator must be constantly vigilant and take appropriate actions while interacting with data management and control systems. These systems can exist in a variety of physical (buttons, switches, etc.) and virtual modalities, commonly referred to as mixed reality (MR), however, there are no existing empirically validated best practices for control system MR design. In particular, there are gaps in research identifying the most effective combination of physical interaction modalities to support different cognitive activities and task sequences associated with decision-making. The proposed research will explore physical input modalities and their impact on decision-making activities with varying cognitive complexity and sequence. Empirical human performance modeling and simulation will be used to determine the most effective MR design to support operator performance. A unique experimental facility (UMD’s Virtual Reality CAVE) will be used to immerse participants in multi-modal simulated unmanned control environments, where physical objects will be integrated into a virtual space. Cognitive tasks associated with system interaction will be modeled and decomposed. An empirical study will be conducted with operators performing varying cognitive tasks with an unmanned vehicle control interface. A combination of indirect (neurophysiological workload) and direct (perceived workload, timing, accuracy) measures of cognitive workload will be collected to determine the impact of the system design considerations on human performance. The results of this research will inform MR design for control interfaces by reducing the risks associated with cognitive workload and improving operator human performance and system safety and recommendations for standardized metrics. Student researchers will integral to the proposed research activities, create a pipeline of students who are trained through formal and hands-on experience to design, evaluate, and implement human-centered systems across the Navy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 15, 2021
- Source ID
- N001742110004
Entities
People
- Monifa Vaughn-cooke
Organizations
- United States Navy
- University of Maryland