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Abstract

The present study addressed the effects of a flexible delegation-type control interface for unmanned vehicles (UVs) on performance in a team-oriented, dynamic, adversarial environment. Thirty-six people served as paid participants in this study. Teams of two participants competed against each other in a RoboFlag simulation based on ‘capture-the-flag.’ Participants controlled their UVs manually, through automated commands, or both (flexible control). Results of the experiment indicated that task performance and subjective workload were adversely affected in the automation-only condition, but no differences were detected between the manual and flexible conditions. Overall, results support previous research using RoboFlag. Performance in the automation condition was insufficient to meet task demands indicating the inappropriateness of UV control limited in this fashion. However, the lack of performance differences observed in this task between the flexible and manual interfaces calls into question when the flexible delegation-type interface may provide a performance benefit.

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Evaluation of Interface Types in an Adversarial Team Based Environment

Abstract

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