Ongoing Projects
Listed here is a sampling of some of our current projects. Please visit this page often as we will update it so you can learn about other projects. Thank you for your interest in our products and services!
Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA)
IMPRINT 7
Ship Manpower Requirements and Analysis Tools (SMART)
Army Research Laboratory's Advanced Decision Architectures Collaborative Technology Alliance (ADA CTA)
CEV Human Engineering Support
Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA)
The Robotics CTA is now in its 3rd year. The Robotics CTA is one of five collaborative technology alliances for basic research and experimentation funded by the Army Research Lab. MA&D is the Research Technical Lead for the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technical area within the Robotics CTA. The Robotics CTA project emphasis has switched this year from conducting basic research to taking that research and experimenting with it in the field. Lots of new and exciting technologies in perception and algorithms to improve the autonomous mobility capabilities of the robotic vehicles have been implemented by Academia. MA&D’s focus has been on designing a new single panel Operator Control Unit (OCU) that can be mounted in a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) or hummer. This OCU provides a multi-modal input and out interface to the soldiers and is designed for use while in a moving vehicle traversing cross-country. The system includes a Spoken Language Interface (SLI) that can control and interact with the computing system. Underlying the control system is an Intelligent Control Architecture that helps the soldier monitor the status of the battlefield and assets under his control and provides help in achieving the mission. With these capabilities the soldier is able to control multiple unmanned ground and air vehicles simultaneously. The entire system together basically sums up to a force multiplier for the Army.
IMPRINT 7
MA&D, in coordination with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), is happy to announce the release of IMPRINT 7. IMPRINT, The Improved Performance Research Integration Tool, provides the means for estimating manpower, personnel, and training requirements and constraints for new weapon systems early in the acquisition process. This new version is essentially a 32-bit version of the previous version, IMPRINT 6. Besides alleviating the rare Windows related memory pitfalls of the 16-bit IMPRINT 6, this new version also includes a handful of new features. Navigation throughout IMPRINT has been simplified with the addition of a hierarchical ‘navigation tree’ to the IMPRINT 7 main window. Users now have the ability to create their own environmental stressors that will allow them to craft more specific, relevant human performance shaping factors. The network diagram has been enhanced as well, in addition to various upgrades to the IMPRINT GUI. IMPRINT 7 also comes with an updated, more comprehensive User’s Guide and Help. MA&D and ARL have already begun working on the next generation of IMPRINT, IMPRINT Pro. IMPRINT Pro is being developed in .NET and will feature a new user interface and incorporate MA&D’s newest version of Micro Saint, Micro Saint Sharp.
Ship Manpower Requirements and Analysis Tools (SMART)
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) recognized the need for tools to help analysts plan for, design, and most importantly, evaluate alternative manning and automation concepts prior to attempting to implement technology. To help meet these needs, ONR and NSWC sponsored the Ship Manpower Requirements and Analysis Tools (SMART) project. The goal of this four year (FY98-01) effort was to provide the Navy Manpower Analysis Center, Millington, TN, and US Navy ship acquisition programs with a process, models and tools for assessing manpower and workload requirements for future platforms before any metal is bent. The primary product from the effort was the development of a manpower-modeling tool entitled SMART Build 3. A primary strength of SMART Build 3 is that it supports a flexible analysis approach through which a system designer can apply varying levels of fidelity to the analysis of manning and automation alternatives. The scope of the functional analyses includes shipboard operations, facilities maintenance, unplanned corrective maintenance, and preventative maintenance.
SMART Build 3 assists designers in assessing the impact of reduced manning levels on performance in various dimensions of the systems. These include the levels of automation required and the allocation of tasks to human operators of the system. Users of SMART Build 3 can evaluate and trade-off these factors to determine the ultimate affordability of the new system. Costs associated with a new system include the dollar cost of developing the system, including new automation, and the costs of the required crew. SMART Build 3 combines two mature technologies: 1) skill and ability taxonomy, and 2) human performance modeling.
Army Research Laboratory’s Advanced Decision Architectures Collaborative Technology Alliance (ADA CTA)
Alion led the Army Research Laboratory’s Advanced Decision Architectures Collaborative Technology Alliance (ADA CTA), the Army's largest basic research program in cognitive and computer science. Alion led a team of 15 partners from academia and industry to work with government partners who complement each other with expertise in human factors, artificial intelligence, psychology, engineering, and computer science. The Alliance designed and tested new cognitive and computer science innovations that help Soldiers better understand the tactical situation and more thoroughly evaluate courses of action. The research is organized into four technical areas:
· Cognitive Process Modeling and Metrics: Cognitive processes were modeled, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Issues about trust and automation were explored and modeled to better understand the impact on performance.
· Team Communication and Collaboration: Tools and intelligent systems were created to support distributed teams in making collaborative decisions, sharing data in meaningful ways, and examining the impact of their decisions.
· Context-Sensitive Information Presentation: Cutting edge displays (i.e., haptics, multimodal, flexible) were used to present the right information to the Soldier at the right time. We researched the impact of network limitations on the Soldier's ability to understand the situation and make appropriate decisions.
· Fusion and Intelligent Architectures: Information fusion and intelligent architectures were developed to manage resources such as the allocation of robotic sensors. We researched architectures to help Soldiers reason about and understand the digital battlefield.
By combining the theories of how people make decisions with the emerging technologies we enable Soldiers to make good decisions quickly with an understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with the possible courses of action. The Research portion of the ADA ended in December of 2009, culminating in a workshop and edited book, Advanced Decision Architectures for the Warfighter: Foundations and Technology, along with a myriad products from individual projects. The Technical Transition effort continues through 2011. More information can be found at http://bldr-webtest.alionscience.com/AdaCta/.
CEV Human Engineering Support
Our primary task is to provide human factors support to LMCO for the Orion CEV Program. This support includes the development of discrete event simulation models of the tasks performed by the astronauts from launch to landing. The models are being built in IMPRINT and the goal is to analyze the astronauts’ workload and whether tasks and missions can be completed successfully given timing and accuracy constraints. We are also supporting task analyses, ground support evaluations, and the development of radiation shield procedures.
