Human Computer Interfaces for supervisory control of Multi-mission, Multi-Agent Autonomy

We propose to develop a collaborative control user interface that will enable operators to work more effectively with highly autonomous vehicles by engaging in a dialog to exchange ideas, ask questions, and resolve differences. We will develop a concept of operations for the collaborative control user interface, and we will create specific, representative scenarios describing situations and events that benefit from collaborative control. We will develop a preliminary ontology that describes the semantics and pragmatics of the information exchange between the operator and the vehicle. We will develop a software architecture that specifies the capabilities, algorithms, knowledge requirements, and interfaces of each software module. We will develop a limited software prototype that illustrates key elements of our approach to demonstrate its utility and feasibility. Finally, we will develop autonomous vehicle evaluation metrics, paying special attention to the efficiency and effectiveness of the operator-vehicle collaboration.