Towards cognitive assistance and teaming in aviation by inferring pilot’s mental state

Abstract

Most assistance systems do not consider the cognitive state of the operator for providing support. However, especially in critical situations, it is highly relevant to know whether information has been processed correctly or been missed. We propose cognitive assistance and give an example of how formalized understanding and anticipation of pilot behavior in response to flight deck alerts can be implemented. The proposed cognitive assistance creates an understanding of the global context of the operation, comprising pilot state (cognitive, emotional), the environment (e.g. weather, traffic, obstacles), the operational context (e.g. Air Traffic Control instructions, system status), and the current task context. The concept of understanding others also provides the foundation for mutual understanding in future human-machine teaming, although additional aspects must be considered by such systems.