Lecture 2: Automation and Human Robot Interaction

Question 1

What is automation?

Answer 1

the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum

Question 2

What are the four reasons to employ automation?

Answer 2

Tasks are impossible or hazardous
Tasks are difficult or unpleasant
To extend human capability
Technically possible

Question 3

What is the lowest level of automation?

Answer 3

information acquisition, selection, filtering
assists with attention guidance

Question 4

What is low-mid level of automation?

Answer 4

information integration
provide situation assessment, inference, diagnosis, easy-to-interpret information

Question 5

What is the high-mid level of automation?

Answer 5

action selection and choice
recommends a course of action

Question 6

What is the highest level of automation?

Answer 6

control and action execution
controls particular functions

Question 7

How many levels are in Sheridan’s levels of automation? Which level is the lowest?

Answer 7

8 levels, level 8 being the lowest level

Question 8

How many levels are in the SAE levels of vehicle automation? Which levels are semi-autonomous?

Answer 8

6 levels, level 0 being lowest
level 2, 3, and 4 are semi-autonomous

Question 9

What are the problems with automation?

Answer 9

It may be unreliable
The automation does not operate or perform well in certain situations
The human operator may incorrectly “set up” the automation
It appears to be acting erroneously to the operator

Question 10

What is trust in automation?

Answer 10

the attitude that an agent will help achieve an individual’s goals in a situation characterized by uncertainty and vulnerability

Question 11

When does mistrust occur?

Answer 11

When trust fails to correspond to the reliability of the automation

Question 12

What can misguided trust lead to?

Answer 12

over or under-reliance which can negatively affect the overall performance or task outcome

Question 13

What is overthrust caused by? What is another name for mistrust?

Answer 13

induced by high system reliability
aka complacency

Question 14

What are the implications of overthrust?

Answer 14

slow detection of failure (vigilance problem)
lack of situation awareness (intervention problem)
Skill loss (loss of confidence and actual skill)

Question 15

What are the ironies of automation related to?

Answer 15

the tasks that are left for the human operator

Question 16

What are the two tasks left over for the operator?

Answer 16

monitor the system to ensure that it works properly
take over from the system if it does not work properly

Question 17

What are the four stages of the takeover process?

Answer 17

information acquisition, selection, filtering
information integration
action selection and choice
control and action execution

Question 18

What are smart devices?

Answer 18

electronic device connected to other devices or networks that can operator to some extent interactively and autonomously

Question 19

What is the IoT?

Answer 19

the internet of things, the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data

Question 20

What is a robot?

Answer 20

a programmable device capable of performing a variety of operations such as reach, grasp, move, and/or position

Question 21

What is human-robot interaction?

Answer 21

understanding, designing, and evaluating robotic systems for use by or with humans. Interaction, by definition, requires communication between robots and humans

Question 22

What is human-robot teaming?

Answer 22

humans and robots work as true team members

Question 23

What is Asimov’s first law of robots?

Answer 23

a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm

Question 24

What is Asimov’s second law of robots?

Answer 24

a robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, expect where such orders would conflict with the first law

Question 25

What is Asimov’s third law of robots?

Answer 25

a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the 1st or 2nd law