Metrics and Procedures to Assess Crew and Team Performance In Mixed Manned-Unmanned Formations for Next Generation Combat Vehicles

This effort involves multiple projects (2.A72, 2.A74, 2.A93) that began in Oct. 2019; completed in 2023.

Overviewing the 3 projects:

Project exposure and a test course - First, there is a need for a standard test course to evaluate human interface technologies, one that can be used both in simulation and at test sites such as Camp Grayling. That course needs to be designed to address the wide variety of issues GVSC has faced and will face, both in driving simulators and in field studies with real military vehicles. This was the focus of project 2.A72.

Workload assessment - Second, there is a need for consistent method to assess workload, particularly that of driving, a central task. It is critical that method is utilized across studies in such a manner that workload predictions can be developed and then applied to plan experiments. A priori predictions of experimental outcomes is a key step in the scientific method, the standard practice for conducting research. Furthermore, this practice is consistent with idea of basing engineering on digital twins. Workload assessment was the focus of project 2.A93.

Develop consistent terms for driving performance - This third need is for much more formal definitions to terms used in driving and methods for collecting the data for driving performance. If data on the separation of vehicle is based on GPS data, and the location of the antenna is random and varies from vehicle to vehicle, assessing the quality of maneuvering becomes very difficult. A starting point is SAE Recommended Practice J2944, but J2944 is for on-road wheel vehicles, not tracked vehicles driven off road. But merely presenting definitions is not enough. The was a clear need for the statistics associated with them, ground truth representative data with which experimental data could be compared, contextual information necessary to assess the experimental statistics, and other information to understand the science of driving. This was the focus of project 2.A74.

The outcomes of these studies were transitioned to GVSC as well as the Crew Optimization & Augmentation Technologies (COAT) program.

Publications:

• Green, P. and Mikulski, T. (2023). A Standard Set of Courses to Assess the Quality of Driving Combat Vehicles Off-Road (SAE paper 2023—01-0114), Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. DOI: 10.4271/2023-01-0114
• Green. P. (2022). Determining the Workload of Driving Scenarios Using Ratings to Support Safety and Usability Assessments, VEHITS Conference. DOI: 10.5220/0011072200003191
• Green, P. (2022). Estimating the Workload of Driving Using Video Clips as Anchors (SAE paper 2022-01- 0805). Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. DOI: 10.4271/2022-01-0805
• Duan, L., Xu, B., and Green, P. (2025). Adding and Assessing Vehicle Sound and Steering Feedback: Application to an Unreal Engine Driving Simulator. (SAE technical paper 2025-01-8668), Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. DOI: 10.4271/2025-01-8668

2.A72, 2.A74, 2.A93