Designing effective soldier-robot teams in complex environments: Training, interfaces, and individual differences

Abstract

Extensive US Army programs are being pursued to increase the effectiveness of unmanned vehicles for diverse missions during future combat. The following paper identified 23 human-robot interaction (HRI) guidelines related to interface design, procedural issues, individual differences and training implications based on three HRI research programs. The programs range from simulation experiments that investigated robot control in a multitasking environment from a mounted combat vehicle, to reconnaissance missions in a miniature Iraqi city that focused on Soldier-robot teaming relationships, to field studies at Ft. Benning that examined interface design issues for Soldiers supervising or controlling small robots. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.