Transitioning to Autonomy by McLeod, Ronald;

Short description:

Transitioning to Autonomy: The Psychology of Human Supervisory Control focuses on the transition period when automation is being introduced, and the human needs to learn and develop the competence to perform their now role effectively. 

Long description:

Whenever automation is introduced to control real-time activities or processes, the role of the human changes from being a manual controller to being a supervisory controller. Whether the activity is the control of vehicles industrial processes, or is in defence, healthcare, or elsewhere, the work performed by the people who are expected to monitor and supervise the automation places new demands on their attention, perception and cognition. Those demands can be significant and challenging and this book aims to address that.

 Transitioning to Autonomy: The Psychology of Human Supervisory Control focuses on the transition period when automation is being introduced, and the human needs to learn and develop the competence to perform their new role effectively. The first Part extracts general lessons from the author’s experience taking ownership of a new car which, under certain circumstances, was capable of driving autonomously. Part 2 explores the psychology behind the lessons extracted in Part 1 and proposes a comprehensive model of human supervisory control.  The final Part focuses on six principal risks associated with human supervisory control and examines how the expectation that people will be proactive in monitoring for threats to the automation’s performance is often relied on as a defence, or “Barrier”, against serious adverse events. The core benefit for the reader is a deeper understanding of what it takes, cognitively, emotionally, and organisationally, to ensure safe and effective human oversight in the age of automation. It aims to give the reader the lowdown on delivering safer systems.

 The book is for managers, engineers, safety professionals and those from other technical disciplines who have responsibility for the design, development and/or assurance of products that automate the control of real-time activities; it’s for regulators and others responsible for setting policy and ensuring products automating real-time activities are safe; and it’s for Human Factors and other professionals who need to understand and develop competence in aspects of the psychology associated with automated systems.

With the increased emphasis on artificial intelligence and plans to implement it for so many different tasks in industries across the board, this is a timely volume that will be highly useful for many.

Mica Endsley, President, SA Technologies Inc

Ron McLeod’s vivid, relatable examples make complex topics accessible to both experts and non-experts, making this book essential reading for designers, manufacturers, regulators, and anyone interested in automation's future.

Niav Hughes Green, Human Factors Research Psychologist.Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

This brilliant blend combines case studies, academic research, and the author's personal experiences to create an enjoyable, informative read.

Jenny O’Donnell, Director, Systemic Factors Ltd

It is a great introduction to HF concepts and is going to be a valuable read for most technical design and operations people.

Alistair Cowin, Director, Resilium UK

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction. 2. Key Concepts and Terminology. Part 1: Transitioning To A Self-Driving Car: A Learning Experience. 4. A Journey Of Discovery. 5. So What Was Learned? Part 2: Modelling Human Supervisory Control. 6. Learnings From Incidents. 7. Models Of Human Supervisory Control. 8. What's Missing From Models Of Human Supervisory Control. 9. A Comprehensive Model Of Human Supervisory Control. Part 3: Supervisory Control As A Safety Defence. 10. Assuring The Reliability Of Human Supervisory Control. 11. Proactive Operator Monitoring As A Barrier. 12. The Proactive Operator Monitoring Assessment Tool For Supervisory Control (POMATsc).