From fly-by-wire to drive-by-wire: Safety implications of automation in vehicles

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the current trend in automobile engineering toward automation of many of the functions previously performed by the driver. Working on the assumption that automation in aviation represents the basic model for driver automation, the costs and benefits of automation in aviation are explored as a means of establishing where automation of drivers' tasks are likely to yield benefits. It is concluded that there are areas where automation can provide benefits to the driver, but there are other areas where this is unlikely to be the case. Automation per se does not guarantee success, and therefore it becomes vital to involve Human Factors into design to identify where automation of driver functions can be allocated with a beneficial outcome for driving performance

Automation from lean perspective-potentials and challenges

The competitive climate of production and high labour cost, motivate western companies to use technologies like automation as a mean to increase manufacturing competitiveness. On the other hand companies are aware about cost reductive policies like lean production which has shown noticeable achievement, consequently some manufacturers tend to follow such system. In this situation, in order to have lean enterprise, it is vital to find a clear picture of challenges and potentials of implementing automation within a lean environment. So, finding the right level and type of automation becomes vital for companies, and achieving this is not possible without a lean development of automation. The paper presents an overview of automation development from a lean perspective. The focus is on manufacturing and a case study in the automotive industry is presented. Challenges and potentials of automation are pinpointed and some suggestions regarding automation development is given

SIT automation tool: failure use case automation and diagnosis

Study of systems to manage the performance and quality of service of wireless data networks. Work with optimization techniques and project management to solve complex networks issues.The scope of this thesis is the SIT (System Integration Testing) process which is the testing procedure executed in customer test environment before the software goes on production environment. The main objective for this thesis is no other than improving the current process step by step taking into account the automation, efficiency, missing checks and much more. This project is a kind of Industrial process to create a powerful testing tool which can allow the company to deliver quality adaptor products efficiently, do better in less time helping to reduce costs, as Adaptors are the most demanded product of MYCOM OSI portfolio. Take into account that business is not only generated when an Adaptor is delivered for first time but also when Vendors provide with new releases and new functionalities and operators needs to order an upgrade of the Adaptor to be able to monitor the new functionalities deployed on their network.El campo de aplicación en el que está centrado esta tesis es el SIT (System Integration Testing), proceso de testeo ejecutado en un servidor de testeo del cliente antes de desplegar el software el medio de producción. El objetivo principal de esta tesis no es otro que mejorar el proceso actual paso a paso teniendo en cuenta la automatización, eficiencia, la falta de verificaciones, entre otros. Este proyecto es una especie de proceso industrial para crear una aplicación potente de testeo que pueda permitir a la compañía entregar adaptadores de calidad con eficiencia, que hagan más en menos tiempo ayudando así a reducir costes. Los adaptadores son el producto más demandado del porfolio de MYCOM OSI. Hay que tener en cuenta que el negocio no se genera solamente cuando se entrega por primera vez el adaptador al cliente, sino que cuando los proveedores lanzan nuevas versiones con nuevas funcionalidades y los operadores necesitan encargar una mejora del adaptador para poder monitorizar las nuevas funcionalidades desplegadas en su red.El camp d'aplicació en que es basa aquesta tesi és el SIT (System Integration Testing), procés de testeig executat en un servidor de testeig del client abans de desplegar el software al mitjà de producció. L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi no és un altre que millorar el procés actual pas a pas tenint en compte l'automatització, l'eficiència, la falta de verificacions, d'entre altres. Aquest projecte és una mena de procés industrial per crear una aplicació potent de testeig que pugui permetre a la companyia lliurar adaptadors de qualitat amb eficiència, que facin més en menys temps ajudant així a reduir costos. Els adaptadors són el producte més demandat del porfolio de MYCOM OSI. Cal tenir en compte que el negoci no només es genera quan es lliura per primera vegada l'adaptador al client, sinó que quan els proveïdors llancen noves versions amb noves funcionalitats i els operadors necessiten encarregar una millora de l'adaptador per poder monitoritzar les noves funcionalitats desplegades a la seva xarxa

Towards Autonomous Aviation Operations: What Can We Learn from Other Areas of Automation?

Rapid advances in automation has disrupted and transformed several industries in the past 25 years. Automation has evolved from regulation and control of simple systems like controlling the temperature in a room to the autonomous control of complex systems involving network of systems. The reason for automation varies from industry to industry depending on the complexity and benefits resulting from increased levels of automation. Automation may be needed to either reduce costs or deal with hazardous environment or make real-time decisions without the availability of humans. Space autonomy, Internet, robotic vehicles, intelligent systems, wireless networks and power systems provide successful examples of various levels of automation. NASA is conducting research in autonomy and developing plans to increase the levels of automation in aviation operations. This paper provides a brief review of levels of automation, previous efforts to increase levels of automation in aviation operations and current level of automation in the various tasks involved in aviation operations. It develops a methodology to assess the research and development in modeling, sensing and actuation needed to advance the level of automation and the benefits associated with higher levels of automation. Section II describes provides an overview of automation and previous attempts at automation in aviation. Section III provides the role of automation and lessons learned in Space Autonomy. Section IV describes the success of automation in Intelligent Transportation Systems. Section V provides a comparison between the development of automation in other areas and the needs of aviation. Section VI provides an approach to achieve increased automation in aviation operations based on the progress in other areas. The final paper will provide a detailed analysis of the benefits of increased automation for the Traffic Flow Management (TFM) function in aviation operations

A question of trust: can we build an evidence base to gain trust in systematic review automation technologies?

Background Although many aspects of systematic reviews use computational tools, systematic reviewers have been reluctant to adopt machine learning tools. Discussion We discuss that the potential reason for the slow adoption of machine learning tools into systematic reviews is multifactorial. We focus on the current absence of trust in automation and set-up challenges as major barriers to adoption. It is important that reviews produced using automation tools are considered non-inferior or superior to current practice. However, this standard will likely not be sufficient to lead to widespread adoption. As with many technologies, it is important that reviewers see “others” in the review community using automation tools. Adoption will also be slow if the automation tools are not compatible with workflows and tasks currently used to produce reviews. Many automation tools being developed for systematic reviews mimic classification problems. Therefore, the evidence that these automation tools are non-inferior or superior can be presented using methods similar to diagnostic test evaluations, i.e., precision and recall compared to a human reviewer. However, the assessment of automation tools does present unique challenges for investigators and systematic reviewers, including the need to clarify which metrics are of interest to the systematic review community and the unique documentation challenges for reproducible software experiments. Conclusion We discuss adoption barriers with the goal of providing tool developers with guidance as to how to design and report such evaluations and for end users to assess their validity. Further, we discuss approaches to formatting and announcing publicly available datasets suitable for assessment of automation technologies and tools. Making these resources available will increase trust that tools are non-inferior or superior to current practice. Finally, we identify that, even with evidence that automation tools are non-inferior or superior to current practice, substantial set-up challenges remain for main stream integration of automation into the systematic review process

Post-automation: report from an international workshop

The purpose of this report is to share lessons from an international research workshop dedicated to post- automation. Twenty-seven researchers from eleven different countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, met at the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex University on 11-13 September 2019, where we discussed empirical research papers and explored post-automation in group activities. We write this report primarily for researchers, but also for activists and policy advisors looking for more imaginative approaches to governing technology, work and sustainability in society, compared to those dominant agendas adapting automatically to the interests behind automation. The report is structured as follows. Section two introduces the workshop topic and papers presented, and which leads into two related areas that became a focus for discussion. First, some challenges in the foundations of automation theory (section three). And second, post-automation as a more constructive proposition to the challenges of automation, and that is happening right now (section four). Section five summarises some key points arising from the workshop, based on empirical observations from the margins of digital technology development, and that give both a flavour of the workshop and help elaborate the post-automation proposition. Some analytical and strategic themes are discussed in section six. We conclude in section seven with proposals for a post-automation agenda

Current Concepts and Trends in Human-Automation Interaction

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The purpose of this panel was to provide a general overview and discussion of some of the most current and controversial concepts and trends in human-automation interaction. The panel was composed of eight researchers and practitioners. The panelists are well-known experts in the area and offered differing views on a variety of different human-automation topics. The range of concepts and trends discussed in this panel include: general taxonomies regarding stages and levels of automation and function allocation, individualized adaptive automation, automation-induced complacency, economic rationality and the use of automation, the potential utility of false alarms, the influence of different types of false alarms on trust and reliance, and a system-wide theory of trust in multiple automated aids