Moonlight in Miami: A Field Study of Human-Robot Interaction in the Context of an Urban Search and Rescue Disaster Response Training Exercise

• Main Author: Burke, Jennifer L
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholar Commons 2004
• Subjects: rescue robotics; communication analysis; field research methods; technology; user studies; American Studies; Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/973; https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1972&context=etd

This study explores human-robot interaction during a 16-hour high-fidelity Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) disaster response drill with teleoperated robots. Situation awareness and team interaction were examined using communication analysis. Operators (n=5) sought assistance from team members to compensate for difficulties building or maintaining situation awareness. Operator-team member communication focused on relating what was seen through the robot's eye view with prior knowledge and planning search strategies. Results suggest operators need a new cognitive mental model to filter and comprehend data provided by the robot, and that robot-assisted search is a team task rather than an individual one. USAR technical search teams need a new shared mental model of robot-assisted search in order to coordinate activities effectively.