Nonlinear and Time-Varying Dynamical Models of Human Operators in Manual Control Systems

This paper describes the application of a deterministic theory for characterizing or modeling the dynamics of a human operator in a manual control system. Linear time-varying, nonlinear time-varying, and non-linear constant-coefficient models are obtained by applying the theory to tracking data taken for one- and two-axis tasks with various displays. The accuracy and fidelity of these advanced models are explored in detail. Also, new information about time variability and nonlinearity of the human operator, obtained by studying the models and the manual control system signals, is presented.