A vision for an advanced Human - Machine Interface (HMI) for use in future naval platforms

摘要

This paper covers studies into Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) for future naval platforms within the digitized battlespace. Our philosophy is for maximum flexibility in the Platform Management System (PMS) and its associated HMIs. This means that the platform interface technologies and information formats can be adapted to support differing operating philosophies, variable levels of automation and different crew complements and structures. Integration within the digitized battlespace will itself impose demands related to interoperability, and adaptations will be necessary to ensure cultural and doctrinal coherence. This philosophy embraces the concept of human-centred configuration, so that the technologies are designed to accommodate the human roles, rather than human roles having to fit around the technology. State-of-the-art human factors tools and techniques are being used to derive requirements, evaluate technologies and identify optimum HMI configurations for given conditions. One concept is for the operator to have control of all the platform systems using a software-based control system, the Command Order Manager (COM), as part of a vessel-wide integrated PMS. This concept could be highly efficient, but only if the operator's situational awareness, workload, allocation of function, and supervisory communications are supported by the HMI. We are seeking to embed 'human factors intelligence' within the configuration management processes. The high level of flexibility inherent in our HMI allows not only optimum human factors for changing situations, but also an inherent capability for through-life incorporation of new HMI technologies as they become sufficiently mature, whether as COTS systems or as bespoke solutions.