ATTICUS: Attentional Trainer To Improve Control of Unmanned Systems

The increased use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to meet diverse Navy mission requirements has been accompanied by mounting safety concerns. Two significant human causal factors contributing to UAS mishaps are channelized attention and fatigue. Channelized attention refers to allocating attention to a channel of information at the expense of other, potentially more important channels. Fatigue caused by long shifts and the around-the-clock nature of UAS operations exacerbates channelized attention. A training system is needed to counteract channelized attention in fatigued UAS operators Our team has proposed ATTICUS (Attentional Trainer To Improve Control of Unmanned Systems) to mitigate the detrimental effects of channelized attention and fatigue during UAS missions. ATTICUS has three main components: (1) A simulation testbed for training attentional skills; (2) A Fatigue Monitoring System (FMS) for assessing fluctuations in fatigue state; and (3) A protocol for adapting training based on attentional skill levels and fatigue state. The simulation testbed trains operators on scanning, task prioritization, and interruption management—three general attentional skills that underlie aviation performance. The operator’s mastery of these skills along with their fatigue state are used to adapt the training content delivered. This micro-adaptive training approach will maximize learning efficiency and level of achievement.