Manual versus speech input for entering a taxiroute into an Electronic Flight Bag

Abstract

An application for entering a taxiroute into an Electronic Flight Bag, using either speech input or manual input, has been investigated. The input concepts are designed such that the number of actions to be performed when using speech input is the same as when using manual input. A previous evaluation of the speech input concept in an undisturbed, single-task environment showed that high route recognition performance is feasible. To compare the concepts in an operationally realistic environment, two experiments were conducted in a fixed-base research simulator. Typical disturbances that are present in the cockpit environment were modeled and used in this simulation-based evaluation/comparison. Time, efficiency, workload, and pilot preference were used as criteria. Eight professional pilots, with flight experience varying from 9 to 27 years, participated. The results indicate a clear performance benefit in terms of speed and efficiency for the manual input, which also yielded a lower workload and was the preferred option of the pilots.