Effects of incremented auditory feedback on remote vehicle operator task performance

Abstract

Remote vehicle operators (RVO) work in a sensory-deprived environment. A reduction or absence of sensory cueing like auditory feedback, combined with variable workload, has been attributed to a number of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) accidents. Therefore, this research sought to understand the relationship between workload and dynamic auditory feedback on RVO task performance. Twenty-four participants completed a counterbalanced series of decision-making (spatial orientation accuracy) and perception (spotting accuracy) tasks in an automated beyond visual line of sight environment, under varying workload and auditory volume levels. The management style employed by participants in dealing with the auditory information was also measured and compared with decision-making performance. A relative decline in spatial orientation accuracy was evident when auditory feedback was considered “soft” or “loud” (±10 dBA) compared with a participant-defined comfortable volume level, but contingent on an adequate level of workload experienced concurrently. From an applied perspective, these findings support the inclusion of adaptive auditory systems in future Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) designs.