OFMspert: An architecture for an operator's associate that evolves to an intelligent tutor

With the emergence of new technology for both human-computer interaction and knowledge-based systems, a range of opportunities exist which enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of controllers of high-risk engineering systems. The design of an architecture for an operator's associate is described. This associate is a stand-alone model-based system designed to interact with operators of complex dynamic systems, such as airplanes, manned space systems, and satellite ground control systems in ways comparable to that of a human assistant. The operator function model expert system (OFMspert) architecture and the design and empirical validation of OFMspert's understanding component are described. The design and validation of OFMspert's interactive and control components are also described. A description of current work in which OFMspert provides the foundation in the development of an intelligent tutor that evolves to an assistant, as operator expertise evolves from novice to expert, is provided

A Closed-Loop Perspective on Symbiotic Human-Computer Interaction

This paper is concerned with how people interact with an emergent form of technology that is capable of both monitoring and affecting the psychology and behaviour of the user. The current relationship between people and computer is characterised as asymmetrical and static. The closed-loop dynamic of physiological computing systems is used as an example of a symmetrical and symbiotic HCI, where the central nervous system of the user and an adaptive software controller are engaged in constant dialogue. This emergent technology offers several benefits such as: intelligent adaptation, a capacity to learn and an ability to personalise software to the individual. This paper argues that such benefits can only be obtained at the cost of a strategic reconfiguration of the relationship between people and technology - specifically users must cede a degree of control over their interaction with technology in order to create an interaction that is active, dynamic and capable of responding in a stochastic fashion. The capacity of the system to successfully translate human goals and values into adaptive responses that are appropriate and effective at the interface represents a particular challenge. It is concluded that technology can develop lifelike qualities (e.g. complexity, sentience, freedom) through sustained and symbiotic interaction with human beings. However, there are a number of risks associated with this strategy as interaction with this category of technology can subvert skills, self-knowledge and the autonomy of human user

An information-theoretic account of human–computer interaction

This thesis presents a theoretical framework for the study of interactive systems, using methods from information theory, machine learning and control theory. The framework builds on the information-theoretic capacities of empowerment, relevant information and mutual information, which I adapt and apply to the domain of human-computer interaction. Three user studies exploring dynamic interactive scenarios - one car-tracking and two collaborative target-acquisition experiments - provide empirical data for the development of probabilistic models, used in the characterisation of specific aspects of human performance, such as the level of control, the quality of decision-making, and the level of engagement in interpersonal coordination. Human control models are extended to accommodate for the inherent lags, characteristic for human-computer and human-human interaction, in a principled way. Optimal controllers, describing particular patterns of human behaviour, are built on these theoretical models, providing evidence for specific limits of human performance through simulations. The thesis describes the potential of empowerment, as a generic task-independent measure of control, to characterise the uncertainty in human-machine interfaces. This work builds an important bridge between theory and experiments, and suggests that the proposed information-theoretic concepts could provide analytical tools for supporting the design and evaluation of interactive systems, by elucidating novel aspects of human performance complementing standard measures. The thesis provides proof of concept examples for the application of such information-theoretic measures, and demonstrates how they can be treated naturally side-by-side along traditional metrics used in HCI research. It emphasises the acquisition cost of accurate theoretical models, necessary to ensure the reliability of such measures

ПСИХОЛОГІЯ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ПІДТРИМКИ ЖИТТЄДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ЖІНОК В УМОВАХ ДИНАМІЧНОЇ СОЦІОТЕХНІЧНОЇ СИСТЕМИ: ЕМПІРИЧНІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ

The purpose of the article is to find out the peculiarities of social support for women's life in the conditions of dynamic socio-technical management system of nature management. Using the methods of electrocardiography and electro- oculography revealed the change of increasing fatigue in the work of subjects with the display video series of the automated sociotechnical system "Monitoring of environmental activity". We surveyed 350 subjects (operators, specialists, students with computer skills) aged 18 to 36 years (all women) before, during and after the use of the display automation systems of a dynamic automated control system. The total duration of the display activity did not exceed four hours of continuous operation.The forms, content and nature of the interaction and interaction of the components of the dynamic human-nature socio-technical system are characterized. The socio-psychological analysis of the tendencies of the development of such socio-technical system is carried out. In the empirical study the features of psychological interaction of women with display video sets are identified. The concept of social support of their life activity at work with display video sets of dynamic continuous information is developed. The dependence of the level of computer readiness of women and the quality of perception of information from different forms of presentation is established. It is found that the quality of perception of information is affected not only by the level of computer readiness, but also by the total time of acquaintance with the computer, as well as the time spent at work on the computer. From the point of view of the subsystem of the reflective-modeling information activity of the designer, its technical and aesthetic attractiveness contributes to increasing attention to the information message, which directly influences the perception of the user.A positive correlation between techno-aesthetic appeal and the rememberability of the information message has been identified. More aesthetically pleasing information messages are able to arouse interest in the user, best performing informative and informative functions.The purpose of the article is to find out the peculiarities of social support for women's life in the conditions of dynamic socio-technical management system of nature management. Using the methods of electrocardiography and electro- oculography revealed the change of increasing fatigue in the work of subjects with the display video series of the automated sociotechnical system "Monitoring of environmental activity". We surveyed 350 subjects (operators, specialists, students with computer skills) aged 18 to 36 years (all women) before, during and after the use of the display automation systems of a dynamic automated control system. The total duration of the display activity did not exceed four hours of continuous operation.The forms, content and nature of the interaction and interaction of the components of the dynamic human-nature socio-technical system are characterized. The socio-psychological analysis of the tendencies of the development of such socio-technical system is carried out. In the empirical study the features of psychological interaction of women with display video sets are identified. The concept of social support of their life activity at work with display video sets of dynamic continuous information is developed. The dependence of the level of computer readiness of women and the quality of perception of information from different forms of presentation is established. It is found that the quality of perception of information is affected not only by the level of computer readiness, but also by the total time of acquaintance with the computer, as well as the time spent at work on the computer. From the point of view of the subsystem of the reflective-modeling information activity of the designer, its technical and aesthetic attractiveness contributes to increasing attention to the information message, which directly influences the perception of the user.A positive correlation between techno-aesthetic appeal and the rememberability of the information message has been identified. More aesthetically pleasing information messages are able to arouse interest in the user, best performing informative and informative functions

Latency and User Performance in Virtual Environments and Augmented Reality

System rendering latency has been recognized by senior researchers, such as Professor Fredrick Brooks of UNC (Turing Award 1999), as a major factor limiting the realism and utility of head-referenced displays systems. Latency has been shown to reduce the user's sense of immersion within a virtual environment, disturb user interaction with virtual objects, and to contribute to motion sickness during some simulation tasks. Latency, however, is not just an issue for external display systems since finite nerve conduction rates and variation in transduction times in the human body's sensors also pose problems for latency management within the nervous system. Some of the phenomena arising from the brain's handling of sensory asynchrony due to latency will be discussed as a prelude to consideration of the effects of latency in interactive displays. The causes and consequences of the erroneous movement that appears in displays due to latency will be illustrated with examples of the user performance impact provided by several experiments. These experiments will review the generality of user sensitivity to latency when users judge either object or environment stability. Hardware and signal processing countermeasures will also be discussed. In particular the tuning of a simple extrapolative predictive filter not using a dynamic movement model will be presented. Results show that it is possible to adjust this filter so that the appearance of some latencies may be hidden without the introduction of perceptual artifacts such as overshoot. Several examples of the effects of user performance will be illustrated by three-dimensional tracking and tracing tasks executed in virtual environments. These experiments demonstrate classic phenomena known from work on manual control and show the need for very responsive systems if they are indented to support precise manipulation. The practical benefits of removing interfering latencies from interactive systems will be emphasized with some classic final examples from surgical telerobotics, and human-computer interaction

Systems, interactions and macrotheory

A significant proportion of early HCI research was guided by one very clear vision: that the existing theory base in psychology and cognitive science could be developed to yield engineering tools for use in the interdisciplinary context of HCI design. While interface technologies and heuristic methods for behavioral evaluation have rapidly advanced in both capability and breadth of application, progress toward deeper theory has been modest, and some now believe it to be unnecessary. A case is presented for developing new forms of theory, based around generic “systems of interactors.” An overlapping, layered structure of macro- and microtheories could then serve an explanatory role, and could also bind together contributions from the different disciplines. Novel routes to formalizing and applying such theories provide a host of interesting and tractable problems for future basic research in HCI