A Human–Automation Interface Model to Guide Automation Design of System Functions

A major component of the US Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) will be a fleet of eight different manned ground vehicles (MGV). There are promises that "advanced automation" will accomplish many of the tasks formerly performed by soldiers in legacy vehicle systems. However, the current approach to automation design does not relieve the soldier operator of tasks; rather, it changes the role of the soldiers and the work they must do, often in ways unintended and unanticipated. This paper proposes a coherent, top-down, overarching approach to the design of a human–automation interaction model. First, a qualitative model is proposed to drive the functional architecture and human–automation interface scheme for the MGV fleet. Second, the proposed model is applied to a portion of the functional flow of the common crew station on the MGV fleet. Finally, the proposed model is demonstrated quantitatively via a computational task-network modeling program (Improved Performance Research and Integration Tool). The modeling approach offers insights into the impacts on human task-loading, workload, and human performance. Implications for human systems integration domains are discussed, including Manpower and Personnel, Human Factors Engineering, Training, System Safety, and Soldier Survivability. The proposed model gives engineers and scientists a top-down approach to explicitly define and design the interactions between proposed automation schemes and the human crew. Although this paper focuses on the Army's FCS MGV fleet, the model and analytical processes proposed, or similar approaches, are appropriate for many manned systems in multiple domains (aviation, space, maritime, ground transportation, manufacturing, etc.).