Network Science, Multi-Agent Network Control. Determining the Limits of Human Coordination
Abstract
Coordinated behavior between individuals is crucial for situations ranging from military sweeps of buildings in a war zone to medical teams operating in ICUs. During these situations, people can achieve remarkable coordination in complex tasks. When they fail to coordinate however, the consequences are grim. The difference between success and failure is often governed by the cues available to the individuals and their facility in using them. The work proposed explores an unusual form of strong coordination called Òco-confident" motion between individuals in which expert participants are able to use visual feedback to physically mirror each otherÕs motions. To control the dynamics of strong coordination, this research will rely on precise manipulation of visual system using an Oculus Rift virtual reality system. In addition, audio feed back will be controlled using earphones or a directional surround sound system while haptic feedback will be controlled using armbands or a Teslasuit (full body haptic feedback suit). Both audio and haptic systems will be seamlessly integrated with the visual control system. The project will use the Phase Space system -a state of the art precision measurement tool for determining the 3D motions of individuals Ð to elucidate what the minimal set of visual, audio, and haptic cues is and how best to tap into them to achieve coordinated behavior in humans. The work will address the following tasks: ¥ Coordination in Walking: determine how co-confident motion during walking is affected by degraded visual signals. The Oculus headset will be used to precisely vary the visual acuity, brightness, and field of view to determine at what point the players lack sufficient information to enter into a co-confident state. Control theoretic models will be used to assess the quality and duration of the coordinated behavior achieved by the participants. ¥ Coordination in Motion Startup: determine how co-confident motion during motion startup is affected by degraded visual signals. Similar to the walking experiments, the Oculus headset will be used to determine how varying the visual acuity, brightness, and field of view affects the playersÕ abilities to track each otherÕs startup motions. Stochastic decision theory will be used to analyze the data and determine the limitations to coordinated behavior given limited information channels between two controllers. ¥ Combinations of Feedback for Stabilizing Coordination: Audio and tactile cues are extremely helpful in creating synchrony between participants. Such audio and haptic cues will be used to provide additional sensory information aimed at rescuing the ability to enter and sustain co-confident motion in situations where the visual field is too degraded. Information theory will be used to compare the amount of information participants are able to gather from each sensory modality As we conduct our experiments, we will also be using techniques rooted in control and decision theory to determine: ¥ how coordinated behavior emerges from a combination of visual, auditory and haptic cues; ¥ whether such cues can extend the quality and duration of the coordinated motion; and ¥ how such cues affect the decay of coordination. Ultimately, these assessments might contribute to better training techniques and help in the design of feedback equipment to enhance small military teams conducting precise maneuvers; medical teams in surgery; or assessing, training, and diagnosing the mental health of potential recruits and veterans.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 06, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1710322
Entities
People
- Itai Cohen
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Cornell University
- United States Army