Unmanned autonomous vessels and the necessity of human-centred design

Abstract

The introduction of an unmanned autonomous vessels is said to reduce the high percentage of human error in the shipping industry. Still, human errors will be present, from the design of automation's algorithms to the operator monitoring the vessels in the Shore Control Center. However, there is a concern that when the system gets more complex so does the human errors. Operators are moved from the sea to the shore and must change how they obtain their situation awareness, as all sensory information no longer is available. The loss of situation awareness is linked to be a cause of human errors in accidents. This paper argues that by making use of human-centered design methods and designing for the operator's situation awareness, in the development of unmanned autonomous vessels and their Shore Control Centers, one can reduce human error further. The paper concludes with five guidelines for enhancing the operator's situation awareness in the Shore Control Center. The guidelines are about keeping the operator in the loop, replace lost sensory information, available information, automation transparency and the indication of autonomy level.