Experimental Evaluation of Mission-Planning Support in Multi-User Manned-Unmanned Teaming Applications with Shared Unmanned Systems

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate our work towards sharing unmanned systems among multiple distributed users. We propose a hierarchical approach in which the use of unmanned systems can be requested by secondary users. To support the primary user in managing these requests, we developed a prototype of a planning agent that can generate and evaluate potential solutions that incorporate the request into the mission plan. These solutions can then be provided to support the primary user’s decision-making process. We implemented the planning agent in a helicopter research simulator and validated it with military pilots. Within an experiment, we investigated different configurations that supported the participants on different levels of automation. Results indicate that a higher level of automation caused a positive effect on performance but is accompanied with a loss in situational awareness.

Keywords: Manned-Unmanned Teaming, Shared Unmanned Systems, Mission Planning, Human-Autonomy Teaming, Assistant System

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002309