Program Summary
The objective of the EDGE program is to develop the tools necessary to create, measure, and test Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) that provide enough situational awareness (SA) of a system’s processes and status in addition to its operational environment so the operator can adapt the system in off-nominal situations. EDGE seeks design capabilities that will be fast, quantifiable, and repeatable enough for effective HMI concept design, development, and testing to be integrated into the larger systems design and development process.
HMI design has not matured at the same pace as automated and autonomous machines and, as a result, most current interfaces do a poor job supporting the operator’s SA of the machine’s processes, status, and/or operational context. An operator with reduced SA may not adapt to unexpected circumstances, risking catastrophic failure.
EDGE aims to create HMI design tools prioritized and oriented toward quantifying, supporting, and testing SA, rather than reducing cognitive load at the expense of SA. EDGE will help designers build HMI systems that allow operators to not just monitor autonomous systems but also adapt their use to meet the needs of unanticipated situations.