Human Factors Issues in Combat Identification

Human Factors Issues in Combat Identification
Author: Robert P Herz
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2017-09-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1317120191

This edited book presents an array of approaches on how human factors theory and research addresses the challenges associated with combat identification. Special emphasis is placed on reducing human error that leads to fratricide, which is the unintentional death or injury of friendly personnel by friendly weapons during an enemy engagement. Although fratricide has been a concern since humans first engaged in combat operations, it gained prominence during the Persian Gulf War. To reduce fratricide, advances in technological approaches to enhance combat identification (e.g., Blue Force Tracker) should be coupled with the application of human factors principles to reduce human error. The book brings together a diverse group of authors from academic and military researchers to government contractors and commercial developers to provide a single volume with broad appeal. Human Factors Issues in Combat Identification is intended for the larger human factors community within academia, the military and other organizations that work with the military such as government contractors and commercial developers as well as others interested in combat identification issues including military personnel and policy makers.

Human Factors Research in Command Information Processing Systems

Human Factors Research in Command Information Processing Systems
Author: Seymour Ringel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 36
Release: 1966
Genre: Human information processing
ISBN:

The report describes the scope, rationale, organization, and progress of a command systems research program to provide human factors information needed for performance within complex automated information processing systems. Following a survey of military information processing equipment and operations and future plans for command information processing systems, basic human factors problems were identified and organized around five critical operations--screening incoming data, transforming raw data for input into storage devices, input, assimilation of displayed information, and decision making. A research program was formulated and studies undertaken to yield empirical information about the effects on human performance of (1) characteristics of the information presented (density, amount, etc.); (2) dynamic aspects of information (type, extent, coding of updates); (3) display modes and sensory modalities (group vs individual displays, multisensory displays); and (4) computer aids to the decision process. A Command Systems Laboratory was developed to permit simulation of various TOS functions. Findings have suggested the possibility of reduction in storage capacity requirements, number of displays called from storage during a given operational time period, and time required for the total information assimilation-decision process and supported the incorporation and use of information conspicuity coding capabilities in command systems.

Human Factors Research in Command Information Processing Systems

Human Factors Research in Command Information Processing Systems
Author: Seymour Ringel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 34
Release: 1969
Genre: Environmental psychology
ISBN:

The Command System program of the U.S. Army Behavioral Science Research Laboratory is directed toward solving problems associated with information processing and decision making by commanders and their staffs. Research focuses on one or more aspects of events which occur from the time a commander receives his mission until he completes it. This chain of events is the system within which command decisions are formulated and executed--a tactical operations system within which tactical information processing is performed. The Command Systems program is divided into two work units. Research efforts which focus on such information processing aspects as the rapid and accurate input and assimilation of information are conducted by the Tactical Information Processing (TIP) work unit. Efforts which emphasize aspects of the total system such as allocation of functions to man and equipment and system information requirements fall within the Tactical Operations System (TOS) work unit. The present report traces research progress from the beginning of FY 1967 to the present. During this period 23 projects were completed or are now in progress.

Human-Robot Interactions in Future Military Operations

Human-Robot Interactions in Future Military Operations
Author: Florian Jentsch
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2016-05-23
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1317119460

Soldier-robot teams will be an important component of future battle spaces, creating a complex but potentially more survivable and effective combat force. The complexity of the battlefield of the future presents its own problems. The variety of robotic systems and the almost infinite number of possible military missions create a dilemma for researchers who wish to predict human-robot interactions (HRI) performance in future environments. Human-Robot Interactions in Future Military Operations provides an opportunity for scientists investigating military issues related to HRI to present their results cohesively within a single volume. The issues range from operators interacting with small ground robots and aerial vehicles to supervising large, near-autonomous vehicles capable of intelligent battlefield behaviors. The ability of the human to 'team' with intelligent unmanned systems in such environments is the focus of the volume. As such, chapters are written by recognized leaders within their disciplines and they discuss their research in the context of a broad-based approach. Therefore the book allows researchers from differing disciplines to be brought up to date on both theoretical and methodological issues surrounding human-robot interaction in military environments. The overall objective of this volume is to illuminate the challenges and potential solutions for military HRI through discussion of the many approaches that have been utilized in order to converge on a better understanding of this relatively complex concept. It should be noted that many of these issues will generalize to civilian applications as robotic technology matures. An important outcome is the focus on developing general human-robot teaming principles and guidelines to help both the human factors design and training community develop a better understanding of this nascent but revolutionary technology. Much of the research within the book is based on the Human Research and Engineering Directorate (HRED), U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) 5-year Army Technology Objective (ATO) research program. The program addressed HRI and teaming for both aerial and ground robotic assets in conjunction with the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research and Development Center (TARDEC) and the Aviation and Missile Development Center (AMRDEC) The purpose of the program was to understand HRI issues in order to develop and evaluate technologies to improve HRI battlefield performance for Future Combat Systems (FCS). The work within this volume goes beyond the research results to encapsulate the ATO's findings and discuss them in a broader context in order to understand both their military and civilian implications. For this reason, scientists conducting related research have contributed additional chapters to widen the scope of the original research boundaries.

Designing Soldier Systems

Designing Soldier Systems
Author: John Martin
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 505
Release: 2018-05-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1317152077

This book focuses on contemporary human factors issues within the design of soldier systems and describes how they are currently being investigated and addressed by the U.S. Army to enhance soldier performance and effectiveness. Designing Soldier Systems approaches human factors issues from three main perspectives. In the first section, Chapters 1-5 focus on complexity introduced by technology, its impact on human performance, and how issues are being addressed to reduce cognitive workload. In the second section, Chapters 6-10 concentrate on obstacles imposed by operational and environmental conditions on the battlefield and how they are being mitigated through the use of technology. The third section, Chapters 11-21, is dedicated to system design and evaluation including the tools, techniques and technologies used by researchers who design soldier systems to overcome human physical and cognitive performance limitations as well as the obstacles imposed by environmental and operations conditions that are encountered by soldiers. The book will appeal to an international multidisciplinary audience interested in the design and development of systems for military use, including defense contractors, program management offices, human factors engineers, human system integrators, system engineers, and computer scientists. Relevant programs of study include those in human factors, cognitive science, neuroscience, neuroergonomics, psychology, training and education, and engineering.

Neurocognitive and Physiological Factors During High-Tempo Operations

Neurocognitive and Physiological Factors During High-Tempo Operations
Author: Rebecca Steinberg
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1317088786

Neurocognitive and Physiological Factors During High-Tempo Operations features world-renowned scientists conducting groundbreaking research into the basic mechanisms of stress effects on the human body and psyche, as well as introducing novel pharmaceutics and equipment that can rescue or improve maximal performance during stress. Its focus is on the military model as an exemplar for high-stress environments, the best for understanding human performance under stress, both in the short-term as well as in the long-term. The unprecedented demands on the modern soldier include constantly shifting enemy threat levels and tactics, ambiguous loyalties, rapidly evolving weaponry, and the need to amass, comprehend, retain, and act upon large datasets of information. During high-tempo operations, soldiers must maintain superior cognitive and physical skill levels throughout extended periods of little to no sleep. Furthermore, although a soldier fresh from training may perform at peak skill, the effects of cognitive and physical strain and sleeplessness during deployment can impair his or her ability to transfer instructional knowledge to complex real-life situations. It is necessary to understand how intense workloads, both mental and physical, combine with total sleep deprivation to alter soldier situation awareness, decision-making, and physical abilities. The resulting knowledge can be used to design rapid, deployable fitness-for-duty measures, alter training protocols, and assess training efficacy in order to enable decision-makers to act at peak ability during high operations tempo. In addition, dual-use applications of resulting knowledge and technology extend well into the civilian sector, to law-enforcement officers, healthcare professionals, and emergency responders. The book differs from many previous human factors publications by presenting state-of-the-art neuroscience data in a format that is comprehensible and informative for readers of diverse backgrounds. It not only details human behaviors and perception, but also provides concise brain imagery and physiological findings to support its conclusions. In addition, the incorporation of the US Army soldier model of extreme stress and extreme performance demands provides a real-life theme that anchors the scientific, organizational, assessment and response aspects of each chapter. This book synthesizes hard facts with real-life accounts of performing under stress and shows how a large oversight institution like the US Army can measure and improve human factors considerations for its members.

Command Information Processing Systems

Command Information Processing Systems
Author: Seymour Ringel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 48
Release: 1966
Genre: Human information processing
ISBN:

The COMMAND SYSTEMS Task seeks to develop research information by which the effectiveness of current and future command information processing systems may be maximized, pursuing its objective through intensive experimentation in specific Army man-machine complexes. The present publication describes the scope, rationale, and organization of a research program to provide that information to designers, developers, and users. The program represents a comprehensive approach to research concerned with automated command information processing systems, ranging from detailed studies of discrete human functions to integration of sizable highly automated computerized systems. Task effort for the present and in the immediate future will be concentrated on studies dealing with information assimilation and decision making. The report delineates a series of studies in progress or projected on nine major aspects of these functions: (1) Amount and density of information; (2) Specificity of information; (3) Alpha-numeric and symbolic presentation; (4) Type, extent, and rate of information updating; (5) Coding of updated information and hard copy; (6) Sequence of information presentation; (7) Individual and group work methods and displays; (8) Visual and auditory displays; (9) Computer-aided performance. Research to be accomplished in remaining subtasks concerned with problems in the information preparation and system integration areas is more generally discussed.