Title

Team Size, Team Role, Communication Modality, And Team Coordination In The Distributed Operation Of Multiple Heterogeneous Unmanned Vehicles

Keywords

collaboration; communication; distributed cognition; distributed operations; human robot interaction; information processing; planning/replanning; problem solving/reasoning; remote operations; team performance; team processes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of team size, communication modality, and team role on measures of team process over time. As the use of semiautonomous, unmanned vehicles increases, it is pertinent to investigate issues associated with the human teams that will control them, including consideration of team roles and the design of systems to support these roles. Using a 1:35 scale facility for military operations in urban terrain, distributed teams of two or three operators used a simulated, unmanned aerial vehicle and a scaled, unmanned ground vehicle to complete two distinct phases of a mission. The teams used either audio or instant messaging for communication, and the analysis of communication assessed their discussion of target identification, target classification, object localization, and vehicle navigation. Findings indicate that the addition of a third teammate resulted in greater role specificity, and the use of audio increased communication of task-relevant content. The proper assignment of team roles can improve the ability of a team to both acquire and synthesize information from remote environments. Furthermore, proper system design can improve the flow of information between teammates over time. © 2011, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Publication Title

Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making

Volume

5

Issue

1

Number of Pages

106-131

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/1555343411399073

Socpus ID

84993767756 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84993767756

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