UAS Pilot Assessments of Display and Alerting for the Airborne Collision Avoidance System XU

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) must comply with specific standards to operate in the National Airspace System (NAS). Among the requirements are the detect and avoid (DAA) capabilities, which include display, alerting, and guidance specifications. Previous studies have queried pilots for their subjective feedback of these display elements on earlier systems; the present study sought pilot evaluations with an initial iteration of the unmanned variant of a Next Generation Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS XU). Sixteen participants piloted simulated aircraft with both standalone and integrated DAA displays. Their opinions were gathered using post-block and post-simulation questionnaires as well as guided debriefs. The data showed pilots had better understanding and comfort with the system when using an integrated display. Pilots also rated ACAS XU alerting and guidance as generally acceptable and effective. Implications for further development of ACAS XU and DAA displays are discussed.

Impact of integrated graphical display on expert and novice diagnostic performance in critical care

Objective To determine the impact of a graphical information display on diagnosing circulatory shock. Materials and Methods This was an experimental study comparing integrated and conventional information displays. Participants were intensivists or critical care fellows (experts) and first-year medical residents (novices). Results The integrated display was associated with higher performance (87% vs 82%; P < .001), less time (2.9 vs 3.5 min; P = .008), and more accurate etiology (67% vs 54%; P = .048) compared to the conventional display. When stratified by experience, novice physicians using the integrated display had higher performance (86% vs 69%; P < .001), less time (2.9 vs 3.7 min; P = .03), and more accurate etiology (65% vs 42%; P = .02); expert physicians using the integrated display had nonsignificantly improved performance (87% vs 82%; P = .09), time (2.9 vs 3.3; P = .28), and etiology (69% vs 67%; P = .81). Discussion The integrated display appeared to support efficient information processing, which resulted in more rapid and accurate circulatory shock diagnosis. Evidence more strongly supported a difference for novices, suggesting that graphical displays may help reduce expert–novice performance gaps.

Assessment Function Analysis of Human-Automation Team Performance: A reanalysis of data from Yamani and McCarley (2018)

Yamani and McCarley (2018) used workload capacity analysis to quantify automation usage strategy in a speeded length-judgment task and showed that operators delayed their responses under difficult task conditions. Contrary to predictions of the proximity compatibility principle, the results showed comparable operator performance between displays that embedded the aid’s decisional cue within the stimuli and those that did not, depending on task difficulty. This study reanalyzes the data of Yamani and McCarley (2018) employing functional principal component analysis of assessment functions (Townsend & Altieri, 2012) that combines both response times and accuracy for an analysis of workload capacity conditional to accuracy. The results indicate two components, early and late RT periods, both increased workload capacity and suggest that the integrated display may speed operator responses only under easy task conditions. Applied implications of the results are discussed.