Design of Robot Control Interfaces

Boston Engineering"s Advanced Systems Group and Dr. Holly Yanco"s team at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell propose to develop a design science for robot operator interfaces and demonstrate its application through existing design tools and prototype systems that reduce operator training time, maximize the ability of an operator - robot team to maintain synchronization, and provide a baseline for the future execution of unmanned systems tasks at a normal military operational tempo. This science, named R-LUCID, leverages the fact that technology is providing sensors that can enable low-level autonomy but converts the art of interface design to a science by investigating and developing the metrics, techniques, and scenario-based approaches required. Additionally, this effort provides a unique method for generating a control ontology based on how humans are designed to perceive and use interface cues such that robot architecture could be developed to match, reducing the latencies and other operational tempo-slowing components of user and robot interaction further and further. This team is uniquely capable of performing this effort in a comprehensive and time-effective manner with valuable outputs available at stages of development considered to be far earlier than competitive efforts.