Human-Automation Path Planning Optimization and Decision Support

Path planning is a problem encountered in multiple domains, including unmanned vehicle control, air traffic control, and future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. Due to the voluminous and complex nature of the data, path planning in such demanding environments requires the use of automated planners. In order to better understand how to support human operators in the task of path planning with computer aids, an experiment was conducted with a prototype path planner under various conditions to assess the effect on operator performance. Participants were asked to create and optimize paths based on increasingly complex path cost functions, using different map visualizations including a novel visualization based on a numerical potential field algorithm. They also planned paths under degraded automation conditions. Participants exhibited two types of analysis strategies, which were global path regeneration and local sensitivity analysis. No main effect due to visualization was detected, but results indicated that the type of optimizing cost function affected performance, as measured by metabolic costs, sun position, path distance and task time. Unexpectedly, participants were able to better optimize more complex cost functions as compared to a simple time-based cost function.We would like to acknowledge the NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Dissertation Fellowship, and the Office of Naval Research for sponsoring this research

The Role of Human-Automation Consensus in Multiple Unmanned Vehicle Scheduling

Objective: This study examined the impact of increasing automation replanning rates on operator performance and workload when supervising a decentralized network of heterogeneous unmanned vehicles. Background: Futuristic unmanned vehicles systems will invert the operator-to-vehicle ratio so that one operator can control multiple dissimilar vehicles connected through a decentralized network. Significant human-automation collaboration will be needed because of automation brittleness, but such collaboration could cause high workload. Method: Three increasing levels of replanning were tested on an existing multiple unmanned vehicle simulation environment that leverages decentralized algorithms for vehicle routing and task allocation in conjunction with human supervision. Results: Rapid replanning can cause high operator workload, ultimately resulting in poorer overall system performance. Poor performance was associated with a lack of operator consensus for when to accept the automation’s suggested prompts for new plan consideration as well as negative attitudes toward unmanned aerial vehicles in general. Participants with video game experience tended to collaborate more with the automation, which resulted in better performance. Conclusion: In decentralized unmanned vehicle networks, operators who ignore the automation’s requests for new plan consideration and impose rapid replans both increase their own workload and reduce the ability of the vehicle network to operate at its maximum capacity. Application: These findings have implications for personnel selection and training for futuristic systems involving human collaboration with decentralized algorithms embedded in networks of autonomous systems.Aurora Flight Sciences Corp.United States. Office of Naval Researc

Confirmation of a pi_1^0 Exotic Meson in the \eta \pi^0 System

The exclusive reaction $\pi^- p \to \eta \pi^0 n$, $\eta \to \pi^+ \pi^- \pi^0$ at 18 GeV$/c$ has been studied with a partial wave analysis on a sample of 23~492 $\eta \pi^0 n$ events from BNL experiment E852. A mass-dependent fit is consistent with a resonant hypothesis for the $P_+$ wave, thus providing evidence for a neutral exotic meson with $J^{PC} = 1^{-+}$, a mass of $1257 \pm 20 \pm 25$ MeV$/c^2$, and a width of $354 \pm 64 \pm 60$ MeV$/c^2$. New interpretations of the meson exotics in neutral $\eta \pi^0$ system observed in E852 and Crystal Barrel experiments are discussed.Comment: p3, rewording the paragraph (at the bottom) about the phase variations. p4, rewording paragrath "The second method ..." . p4, at the bottom of paragrath "The third method ..." added consistent with the results of methods 1 and 2

Exotic Meson Production in the f1(1285)π−f_{1}(1285)\pi^{-} System observed in the Reaction π−p→ηπ+π−π−p\pi^{-} p \to \eta\pi^{+}\pi^{-}\pi^{-} p at 18 GeV/c

This letter reports results from the partial wave analysis of the $\pi^{-}\pi^{-}\pi^{+}\eta$ final state in $\pi^{-}p$ collisions at 18GeV/c. Strong evidence is observed for production of two mesons with exotic quantum numbers of spin, parity and charge conjugation, $J^{PC} = 1^{-+}$ in the decay channel $f_{1}(1285)\pi^{-}$. The mass $M = 1709 \pm 24 \pm 41$ MeV/c^2 and width $\Gamma = 403 \pm 80 \pm 115$ MeV/c^2 of the first state are consistent with the parameters of the previously observed $\pi_{1}(1600)$. The second resonance with mass $M = 2001 \pm 30 \pm 92$ MeV/c^2 and width $\Gamma = 333 \pm 52 \pm 49$ MeV/c^2 agrees very well with predictions from theoretical models. In addition, the presence of $\pi_{2}(1900)$ is confirmed with mass $M = 2003 \pm 88 \pm 148$ MeV/c^2 and width $\Gamma = 306 \pm 132 \pm 121$ MeV/c^2 and a new state, $a_{1}(2096)$, is observed with mass $M = 2096 \pm 17 \pm 121$ MeV/c^2 and width $\Gamma = 451 \pm 41 \pm 81$ MeV/c^2. The decay properties of these last two states are consistent with flux tube model predictions for hybrid mesons with non-exotic quantum numbers

Observation of Pseudoscalar and Axial Vector Resonances in pi- p -> K+ K- pi0 n at 18 GeV

A new measurement of the reaction pi- p -> K+ K- pi0 n has been made at a beam energy of 18 GeV. A partial wave analysis of the K+ K- pi0 system shows evidence for three pseudoscalar resonances, eta(1295), eta(1416), and eta(1485), as well as two axial vectors, f1(1285), and f1(1420). Their observed masses, widths and decay properties are reported. No signal was observed for C(1480), an IG J{PC} = 1+ 1{--} state previously reported in phi pi0 decay.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figs, to be submitted to Phys. Let

Observation of a New J(PC)=1(+-) Isoscalar State in the Reaction Pi- Proton -> Omega Eta Neutron at 18 GeV/c

Results are presented on a partial wave analysis of the Omega Eta final state produced in Pi- Proton interactions at 18 GeVc where Omega -> Pi+ Pi- Pi0, Pi0 -> 2 Gammas, and Eta -> 2 Gammas. We observe the previously unreported decay mode Omega(1650) -> Omega Eta and a new 1(+-) meson state h1(1595) with a mass M=1594(15)(+10)(-60) MeV/c^2 and a width Gamma=384(60)(+70)(-100) MeV/c^2. The h1(1595) state exhibits resonant-like phase motion relative to the Omega(1650).Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B Eight total pages including 11 figures and 1 tabl

Complete measurement of three-body photodisintegration of 3He for photon energies between 0.35 and 1.55 GeV

The three-body photodisintegration of 3He has been measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab, using tagged photons of energies between 0.35 GeV and 1.55 GeV. The large acceptance of the spectrometer allowed us for the first time to cover a wide momentum and angular range for the two outgoing protons. Three kinematic regions dominated by either two- or three-body contributions have been distinguished and analyzed. The measured cross sections have been compared with results of a theoretical model, which, in certain kinematic ranges, have been found to be in reasonable agreement with the data.Comment: 22 pages, 25 eps figures, 2 tables, submitted to PRC. Modifications: removed 2 figures, improvements on others, a few minor modifications to the tex

A Kinematically Complete Measurement of the Proton Structure Function F2 in the Resonance Region and Evaluation of Its Moments

We measured the inclusive electron-proton cross section in the nucleon resonance region (W < 2.5 GeV) at momentum transfers Q**2 below 4.5 (GeV/c)**2 with the CLAS detector. The large acceptance of CLAS allowed for the first time the measurement of the cross section in a large, contiguous two-dimensional range of Q**2 and x, making it possible to perform an integration of the data at fixed Q**2 over the whole significant x-interval. From these data we extracted the structure function F2 and, by including other world data, we studied the Q**2 evolution of its moments, Mn(Q**2), in order to estimate higher twist contributions. The small statistical and systematic uncertainties of the CLAS data allow a precise extraction of the higher twists and demand significant improvements in theoretical predictions for a meaningful comparison with new experimental results.Comment: revtex4 18 pp., 12 figure

Observation of exclusive DVCS in polarized electron beam asymmetry measurements

We report the first results of the beam spin asymmetry measured in the reaction e + p -> e + p + gamma at a beam energy of 4.25 GeV. A large asymmetry with a sin(phi) modulation is observed, as predicted for the interference term of Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering and the Bethe-Heitler process. The amplitude of this modulation is alpha = 0.202 +/- 0.028. In leading-order and leading-twist pQCD, the alpha is directly proportional to the imaginary part of the DVCS amplitude.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Q2Q^2 Dependence of Quadrupole Strength in the γ∗p→Δ+(1232)→pπ0\gamma^*p\to\Delta^+(1232)\to p \pi^0 Transition

Models of baryon structure predict a small quadrupole deformation of the nucleon due to residual tensor forces between quarks or distortions from the pion cloud. Sensitivity to quark versus pion degrees of freedom occurs through the $Q^2$ dependence of the magnetic ($M_{1+}$), electric ($E_{1+}$), and scalar ($S_{1+}$) multipoles in the $\gamma^* p \to \Delta^+ \to p \pi^0$ transition. We report new experimental values for the ratios $E_{1+}/M_{1+}$ and $S_{1+}/M_{1+}$ over the range $Q^2$= 0.4-1.8 GeV$^2$, extracted from precision $p(e,e 'p)\pi^{\circ}$ data using a truncated multipole expansion. Results are best described by recent unitary models in which the pion cloud plays a dominant role.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. To be published in Phys. Rev. Lett. (References, figures and table updated, minor changes.