Cognitive Engineering and Systems Laboratory

The Cognitive Engineering and Systems (CES) Laboratory has been developed for research into consideration of human thinking (cognition) in the design of engineered systems for safety and performance. Specifically, the Lab supports investigations of human sensory perception, attention, mental workload, situation awareness (SA) and decision-making impacting human interaction with automated systems including teleoperators, telerobots, process control systems (chemical and nuclear), air traffic management systems and aircraft. Complex problems in these aspects of human information processing including vigilance decrements, poor attention allocation strategies, high cognitive workload and complacency, as well as losses in system/situation awareness and manual control skills, due to human out-of-the- (control) loop performance are of particular interest. In an attempt to abate these problems in field situations in which the primary role of the human in interacting with an automated system is that of monitor or supervisory controller, the mission of the CES Lab is to produce research results including system design recommendations and guidelines.

Current Research Projects:

Current projects on-going in the CES Lab include:

Investigation of level of automation and adaptive automation effects on human-machine system performance and operator SA in dynamic control environments - Different combinations and schedules of human and/or computer control of various automated system functions in a simulated radar monitoring task (see adjacent figure) are being empirically assessed for usefulness in abating negative consequences associated with human out-of-the-loop performance while maintaining a high level of system functioning. Results have shown intermediate levels of automation involving human decision-making and computer processing to produce benefits including increased system output and reduced task scheduling errors. These findings have utility in many application areas including aircraft piloting, teleoperation and process control.

Objective assessment of telepresence in teleoperation and its relation to performance - Telepresence (or the sense of being remotely present) has been identified through analytical studies as a teleoperator design ideal for systems performance. However, little, if any, objective laboratory or field data has been collected for empirical validation of this relationship. High fidelity virtual reality (VR) interfaces are being developed for use in control of an actual robot arm (see adjacent figure). Experiments are scheduled for assessment of telepresence in terms of human allocation of attentional resources to the VR as compared to attention to real-world events, as well as comparison of operator SA in each reality.

Evaluation of different types of displays for immersion, performance and presence in virtual environments (VEs) - A research program is to involve testing of the effect of conventional display, large image projection unit and helmet mounted display use on navigation in a virtual maze and performance (travel time). The impact of display type on subjective measures of immersion (submersion of the senses in signals from the VE) and user presence are to be analyzed. This program is anticipated to produce information useful to researchers working in the area of VR and developers of teleoperation systems integrating VR interfaces for selecting displays.

Courses Related to the Laboratory:

A full-graduate level course in Cognitive Engineering has been developed for integration with the CES lab and its research activities. The course focuses on the implications of human perceptual, cognitive, and psycho-motor capabilities in the design of engineered systems, and covers special topics including signal detection theory, attention in perception, human memory, mental models, SA, mental workload assessment, supervisory control and expert systems.

The class involves student familiarization with the foundations of engineering psychology, critical reviews of literature concerning applications of cognitive engineering principles and development of independent projects structuring human and machine system interaction in the context of dynamic control tasks.

The CES Lab supports the Cognitive Engineering course by producing current research results on the topics covered in the class. This promotes student learning to the cutting-edge of engineering psychology. As well, the lab offers computer and literature resources for project use, which are detailed in the next section.

Laboratory Equipment:

The CES Lab boasts significant computer equipment and literary resources for supporting its current research projects and future efforts, as well as the course in Cognitive Engineering. Major equipment in the laboratory includes:

• A Pentium Pro® PC with professional series graphics subsystem - This machine is used for development of interactive VEs using 3-dimensional graphic object design software and VE development packages including Sense8's WorldUp®. Multiple teleoperator virtual control interfaces have been developed using this system and software. Software for spreadsheet development, as part of data analysis, presentation preparation and word processing are also available on this machine.
• A portable Pentium® PC - This machine is used for laboratory data collection and field testing. Software loaded on the machine includes spreadsheet, presentation and word-processing packages.
• Two Silicon Graphics (SGI) Indy® graphical workstations with microphones and screen-mounted cameras - These machines are used in teleoperations research for relaying video images and audio signals between the Automation Laboratory, in which a Puma 560 arm is located, and the CES lab. The machines are also used for recording videos of human subject experimental testing.

Resources in the laboratory include a library of journals and magazines from technical societies as well as an extensive collection of software manuals. Some of the publications available for student use include the journals of Human Factors and Ergonomics, and the informal publications of Ergonomics and Design, IE Solutions, and American Scientist.

Research Team:

Both a new and senior faculty member are jointly involved in the development of the CES Lab and its research programs. Dr. David B. Kaber and Dr. John M. Usher have mutual interests in the areas of human-teleoperator interaction, specifically telepresence, and the use of VEs for training in navigation and complex, dynamic control tasks. They have collaborated in planning the future research efforts to be conducted by the Lab.

Dr. Kaber is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University, with a specialization in human factors and ergonomics, and both a B.S. and M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is currently involved in research projects through the CES Lab including advanced interface design for teleoperation systems, the investigation of the role of telepresence in teleoperation performance, and examination of the effect of cognitive workload on human performance with complex, dynamic control systems. He has published several referred papers in technical journals and conference proceedings concerning these projects and has given professional presentations, as well.

Dr. Usher is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering. He has both a B.S. and M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Engineering. His research interests focus on the application of artificial intelligence to manufacturing with special emphasis on automated systems. He is currently working with the CES Lab on exploring human-centered issues of synthetic environments in the context of teleoperations. Specifically, he has prepared scholarly writings on teleoperation system, task and user characteristics that may influence telepresence.

Sponsors of Research:

Sponsors of the research on-going and scheduled for completion in the CES Lab currently include the Department of Industrial Engineering and the Office of Research at Mississippi State University.

Inside the MSU Cognitive Engineering and Systems Laboratory:

Browse this additional information page on the CES Lab for a look at some of the equipment available to researchers.