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Defense Intelligence Reference Document Cognitive Limits On Simultaneous Control Of Multiple Unmanned Spacecraft

Defense Intelligence Agency · 31 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, dated 15 December 2010, is a Defense Intelligence Agency report from its Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It looks at how many unmanned spacecraft one human pilot could control during future deep-space missions, drawing on research into air traffic control and piloting of multiple unmanned vehicles. It concludes that the limits are about 16 craft for simple tasks, 7 for moderately complex tasks and 4 for complex mixed fleets. It adds that physiological measures can signal when an operator is overloaded.

  • p. 5 …the focus of this paper as little work has been done in this specific area. However…
  • p. 6 …It is not a surprise that there is little work in this specific area - in fact…
  • p. 9 …The sympathetic system mediates response to stress, while the parasympathetic system works to maintain homeostasis and…
  • p. 13 …Only 1300 obeyed a Presidential order to return to work under the "peril to national safety…
  • p. 16 …during the 8-hour workday, night time after work. Additionally, controllers completed the State- Trait Anxiety…
  • p. 18 …time, an observation they note confirms earlier work on F4 crew members performing flight tasks of…
  • p. 21 …model with the SME approach doesn't work for predicting workload in the ATC task. 39…
  • p. 22 …it is intended for the pilot to work alongside the automation rather than rely on it…
  • p. 25 …This measure is called utilization and previous work in systems engineering 48 and queuing theory has…
  • p. 27 …The number of four is consistent with standard estimates of human working memory being able to…
  • p. 28 …picture can be maintained, even with external working memory augmentation, for more than about 16 objects…
  • p. 29 …Vigilance requires hard mental work and is stressful. Hum Factors 50, 433-441 (2008). 14 Dussault…
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Chapter 6: Conclusions
There is a lack of research in the area of cognitive limits on the number of spacecraft
one pilot could control given any mission scenario. Two models for examining what are
similar activities are air traffic control and remote piloting of multiple unmanned
vehicles. We have shown the research progress in both areas, and the cognitive limits
on the number of craft that can be simultaneously controlled are 16 for simple
destination selection, 7 for moderately complex piloting and/or mission task completion,
and 4 for complex heterogeneous craft. Future research may increase the automation
component of aircraft and mission control, but there is no evidence to date that a
complete mental picture can be maintained, even with external working memory
augmentation, for more than about 16 objects at one time.
We have additionally shown that physiological variables can be objectively employed to
indicate overload. Nominal success has been achieved in classifying physiological states
near high workload and thus able to predict and thus possibly prevent overload. We
expect this classification will be achieved with near perfect accuracy within five years of
specific studies being commenced.
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 31 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.