Effects of task automation on the mental workload and situation awareness of operators of agricultural semi-autonomous vehicles
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Date
2014, 2013, 2015
Authors
Bashiri, Behzad
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Bentham Open
SAGE Publications
ASABE
Bentham Open
SAGE Publications
ASABE
Abstract
The effects of in-vehicle automation and driving assistant systems on the mental workload and situation awareness of drivers have been the interest of many studies; some of the implications of automation in such man-machine systems have been identified. Due to the introduction of advanced automated systems in agricultural machinery, farmers are currently working with semi-autonomous vehicles. A human factors perspective on the design of these systems will ensure safe and efficient operation of such man-machine systems.
In this study, a systematic approach was utilized to address human factors issues associated with operating a semi-autonomous agricultural vehicle, and to provide design recommendations. The study was carried out in three stages. First, a task analysis was used to identify tasks associated with operating an agricultural vehicle and to select appropriate experimental variables. Next, a preliminary experiment was performed to validate the test procedure and measurement techniques. Finally, the main experiment was administered. Experiments were conducted using the Tractor Driving Simulator located in the Agricultural Ergonomics Laboratory at the University of Manitoba. Thirty young experienced tractor drivers participated in this study. The experiment investigated the effects of i) vehicle steering task automation (VSTA) and ii) implement control and monitoring task automation (ICMTA) on mental workload and situation awareness of drivers.
It was found that ICMTA significantly affected situation awareness (and its underlying components) of the operator. The situation awareness of drivers increased as the automation support level increased, but the highest level of automation, where the participants were out of the task loop, resulted in low situation awareness, similar to the condition with no automation support. VSTA only reduced the attentional demand of the situation, one of the three components of the situation awareness, which had negative effect on overall situation awareness.
Based on the results from a subjective mental workload measure, moderate levels of mental workload were reported when the participants were involved in the implement control and monitoring task loop. The highest level of ICMTA reduced the average mental workload by 18%. Reaction time of drivers and number of errors committed by drivers both decreased as the automation level increased.
Description
Keywords
Mental Workload, Situation Awareness, Agricultural Vehicles, Driving Performance, Driving Activity Load Index, Automation Design, Heart Rate Variability
Citation
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2014. Automation and the situation awareness of drivers in agricultural semi-autonomous vehicles. Biosystems Engineering, 124: 8-15.
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2014. Heart rate variability in response to task automation in agricultural semi-autonomous vehicles. The Ergonomics Open Journal, 7: 6-12.
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2013. Drivers’ Mental Workload in Agricultural Semi-Autonomous Vehicles, In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 57: 1795-1799.
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2015. Impact of automation on drivers’ performance in agricultural semi-autonomous vehicles. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 21(2): 129-139.
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2014. Heart rate variability in response to task automation in agricultural semi-autonomous vehicles. The Ergonomics Open Journal, 7: 6-12.
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2013. Drivers’ Mental Workload in Agricultural Semi-Autonomous Vehicles, In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 57: 1795-1799.
Bashiri, B., D.D. Mann. 2015. Impact of automation on drivers’ performance in agricultural semi-autonomous vehicles. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 21(2): 129-139.