Communications of the ACM
'hello Human, How Are You?' When Robots Observe Their Operators
Researchers from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Communication Information Processing and Ergonomics have developed a system in which robots watch humans. As a potential application, they set up a simulator for the training of air traffic controllers.
Credit: dw.com/F.Schmidt
Researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Communication Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE) have developed a system in which robots observe humans, setting up an air traffic controller training simulator as a potential application.
Trainees are watched by computer via an infrared eye tracker, which studies the target of their gaze at any given moment. The eye tracker produces data that is used to monitor the air traffic controller's behavior, and it also can detect when an operator gets tired after long hours of monotonous work. "The frequency and time of eyelid closure are good indicators to detect tiredness," notes FKIE's Jessica Schwarz.
Other equipment used to monitor operators includes a chest belt that constantly supplies information about the controllers' vital signs. "It includes a sensor unit, which can measure physiological indicators such as heartbeat, breathing frequency, body temperature, and even their posture," Schwarz says.
The combined eye tracker/sensor belt data enables the computer to detect various indicators that signal the level of stress or weariness the operator is under.
Project director Sven Fuchs says the purpose of the initiative is to determine whether computers can make the right decisions when humans fail.
From Deutsche Welle (Germany)
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