Adaptive Automation and the Third Pilot: Managing Teamwork and Workload in an Airline Cockpit

Adaptive Automation and the Third Pilot

“…This includes: Flight Air France 447 (2009) [8], Flight Spanair 5022 (2008) [9], Flight Helios Airways HCY 522 (2005) [10], Flight China Airlines 140 (1994) [11], and Flight Air Inter 148 (1992) [12]. The air accident reports highlight several human factors issues such as automation surprises, reduced situation awareness, workload problems and over-reliance on automation [1].…”

“…traffic and weather), and the crew state (i.e. fatigue, confusion) [1,2]. With increasing duty time and traffic growth, pilots can benefit from an 'experience aid'.…”

“…With increasing duty time and traffic growth, pilots can benefit from an 'experience aid'. Ideally, the crew and the 'experience aid' (or assistance system) comprise a cooperative system [1,2]. This cooperative system approach follows the cognitive systems engineering frameworks, as advanced by Hollnagel and Woods [3].…”

“…In its current form, automation does not take into consideration the pilot's cognitive and emotional state. Rather, automation provides assistance based on explicit and static task assignments, with no adaptive capabilities, even though it is capable of providing higher or lower levels of support depending on the crew state and/or complexity of the operational situation [1,2,4]. It is argued that safety is optimised when human and automated systems adapt both to each other and to the specific operational context.…”

“…This research was undertaken as part of the Applying Pilots' Model for Safer Aircraft (A-PiMod) project, funded by the European Commission (Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development) [1]. The aim of this project was to demonstrate a new approach/concept (and associated technologies) for an adaptive automation and multimodal cockpit which might mitigate and/or reduce human error.…”