Attentional Trainer To Improve Control of Unmanned Systems (ATTICUS)

The increased use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to meet diverse Navy mission requirements has been accompanied by mounting safety concerns. Mishap rates are orders of magnitude higher during unmanned versus manned flight. 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. To satisfy this demand, we propose to develop ATTICUSAttentional Trainer To Improve Control of Unmanned Systems. ATTICUS has three components: (1) A simulation testbed for training attentional skills; (2) A methodology for assessing fluctuations in fatigue; and (3) A protocol for adapting training based on individual attentional skill levels and fatigue state. The simulation testbed trains operators on visual scanning, resource allocation, and interruption managementthree general attentional skills that underlie aviation performance. The operators 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.