D. Bryant and J. HollandsDRDC TorontoHuman Systems Integration

September 2010

Decision Aids for Soldiers

2

Combat Identification (CID)

• Combat Identification (CID) is the capability to identify friendly, enemy and neutral forces rapidly and accurately.

– When a weapon is fired, it is fired at an appropriate target

• Major risk factors are the loss of situation awareness and misidentification of the target

3

Decision Support Concepts

• IFF Systems

– Markings (fluorescent, infrared reflecting, etc.)

– Non-cooperative approaches (beacons)

– IFF for ground vehicles (millimetre wave (mmW), infrared laser, and radio-frequency (RF) based solutions)

• Blue Force Tracking (BFT)

– Mitigate the risk of fratricide by supplying positional information regarding friendly units to enhance SA

– U.S. Army BFT system consists of a computer, satellite antenna, and Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver

– BFT employs a notebook-size, rugged, 12-inch diagonal daylight-visible computer display, strapped on or bolted into vehicles, as an interface for operators

4

IMMERSIVE

• IMMERSIVE (Instrumented Military Modeling Engine for Research using SImulation and Virtual Environments)

– Simulated combat environment

– Based on Unreal Tournament software

– First-person perspective of a dismounted infantry soldier

• This platform presents blocks of trials consisting of:

– Terrain (urban environment)

– roBOTic computer controlled entities (BOTs)

– Scenario (sequence of BOT movements and actions)

• Subjects played the role of a dismounted soldier

– Controlled the movement of the rifle with the mouse and fired by pressing the left button

5

IMMERSIVE Environment

6

Subject’s View

7

IMMERSIVE “BOTs”

8

Simulated Rifle-Mounted IFF

9

Hand-held BFT

10

Hit Rate

11

False Alarm Rate

12

Blue Force Tracking (BFT)

• Current BFT systems implemented at vehicle level

• Can study impact of hand-held BFT for individual soldiers in the IMMERSIVE environment

– Simulate BFT as PDA device

– Simulate potential problems/errors in system

• Lag or delay in updating positional information

13

Experiment 3: False Alarm Rate

14

Conclusion

• Computer-based simulation offers two benefits:

– Learn about CID decision making and test models

– Evaluate decision support concepts before they are actually available

• Both IFF and BFT are viable CID support concepts

• Negative effect of update lag on BFT indicates that systems may not provide benefits under some conditions

15

Reliance on Soldier Decision Aids

• Advances in soldier decision aids

• Soldier Information requirements

• Disclosing system reliability

• Displaying reliability (uncertainty)

• See through display DIR

16

Soldier Information Requirements

• Improved SA, performance benefits and high usability and acceptance with augmented reality information displayed using Virtual Retinal Displays or dashboard, spectacle mounted HMDs

• Consider displaying cueing information (e.g., rolling compass, indicators for next waypoint, bearing, location of friendly and enemy entities) superimposed on real scene.

• Egocentric: FFOV spatial and identity information

17

IFF vs BFT: uncertainty about ‘unknown’ feedback

Feedback: ‘friend’ (explicit), ‘unknown’ (implicit) ‘Friend’ reliability : P( friendly | ’friend’ ) ≈ 100%

‘Unknown’ reliability : P( hostile | ‘unknown’ ) < 100%

Individual Combat ID System

Wang, L., Jamieson, G. A., & Hollands, J. G. (2009). Trust and reliance on an automated combat identification system. Human Factors, 51, 281-291.

Wang, L., Jamieson, G. A., & Hollands, J. G. (2009). Trust and reliance on an automated combat identification system. Human Factors, 51, 281-291.

18

Human-Automation Performance

• Generally human-automation performance improves with automation reliability

• However, for CID even highly reliable aids failed to improved target identification (Dzindolet, Pierce, Beck, Dawe, & Anderson, 2000, 2001; Dzindolet, Pierce, Pomranky, Peterson, & Beck, 2001; Karsh et al., 1995; Kogler, 2003)

• Trust in automated system not examined

19

Methodology and Measures Task: Make correct engagement decisions

if hostile shoot; if friend hold fire

SDT reliance measure

Participant’s viewFriendly Hostile

Hollands, J. G., & Neyedli, H. F. (in press). A reliance model for automated combat identification systems: Implications for trust in automation. In N. Stanton (Ed.), Trust in military teams. Farnham, England: Ashgate.

Hollands, J. G., & Neyedli, H. F. (in press). A reliance model for automated combat identification systems: Implications for trust in automation. In N. Stanton (Ed.), Trust in military teams. Farnham, England: Ashgate.

20

CID accuracy was improved in the 80% condition but not in the 67% reliabilty condition

• Informed group changed their response bias more appropriately than the uninformed group

Results

80% 67%

21

Displaying Uncertainty• No Feedback (unknown feedback)=????

Finger & Bisantz, 2002

Numeric38% 60% p=0.05

Linguisticlikely, unlikely, probable

Graphic

Neyedli, H., Hollands, J. G., & Jamieson, G. A. (2009). Human reliance on an automated combat identification system: Effects of display format. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society – 53rd Annual Meeting (pp. 212-216). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Neyedli, H., Hollands, J. G., & Jamieson, G. A. (2009). Human reliance on an automated combat identification system: Effects of display format. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society – 53rd Annual Meeting (pp. 212-216). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

22

Experimental Design

2 display method x 2 display format x 5 reliability levels

display methodMesh Pie

integrated

separated

23

Results: Interface Format

Compute ßoptimal equation. ßactual fit to ßoptimal model.

Pie: R2 = 0.24, Mesh: R2 = 0.19 Pie: R2 = -0.04, Mesh: R2 = -0.27

Integrated Separated

24

Results: Display Method

Mesh

Pie

Reliability Level

d’

25

DIR: See-Through Eyeglass Wearable Display Revision Eyewear Inc.Project Objectives

The primary objective of this DIR is to develop and prototype wearable display related technologies with mid-term future growth to provide long-term technology options to the sniper community and the broader Land Force.

26

Implications

• DIR project is supported by the military sponsor (DLR-5) and will have long term benefits for the Integrated Soldier System Project (ISSP).

• Image and information display to soldiers using protective eyewear integrated with see-through display combines ISR and protection together

• Our work on Decision Aids for Soldiers provides potential content

• Enhance the situational awareness and survivability of the CF

27

28