Tactile Alert Prototype Environment for Experimentation (TAPEE)

To ensure the operational effectiveness, lethality, and survivability of submariners and platforms, Submarine Watchstanders must readily perceive and rapidly and accurately respond to time-critical alerts. Due to information overload driven by system complexity and environmental constraints, however, their perception and subsequent response to urgent notifications can be delayed or missed entirely. There is an urgent need for tools capable of reducing response time to alerts by accelerating alert delivery in a manner that cannot be missed without placing further demand on Watchstanders’ cognitive load. Utilizing haptic cues rather than adding new visual/auditory alerts is a promising alternative if such alerts are designed and delivered in ways that are well-suited to unique challenges of the domain. Charles River Analytics proposes to design and demonstrate a Tactile Alert Prototype Environment for Experimentation (TAPEE). TAPEE provides a design and demonstration infrastructure that parses incoming data streams, identifies and triggers relevant alerts, and passes those alerts to appropriate hardware based on configuration characteristics. TAPEE is grounded in a thorough requirements analysis of the submarine domain and incorporates alerting strategies and COTS devices based on a literature review and focused trade study.