Human Interaction with Lights-out Automation: A Field Study*

This paper describes a field study in which a recently implemented ‘intelligent’ control system for NASA satellites was observed. The autonomous control system, called Genie, is intended to replace the current two-person operations team with which NASA staffs the control rooms for each scientific satellite. As these control rooms are typically staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, there is good deal of interest in the use of increased automation to improve the efficiency with which personnel are used and to decrease costs. Genie is a good example of a class of emerging control automation technology that is intended to replace human operators responsible for system control; such technology has been called ‘lights-out automation.’ The field study attempts to assess the extent to which the design and structure of Genie allow such automation to function effectively and to determine the nature of problems which require human intervention either to resume manual control of the system itself or to repair Genie. ** The results suggest that in order for lights-out automation to be effective, it must be designed with the * This research was supported in part NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Grant NAG 5-2227 (GT-E24-X12), A William Stoffel, Technical Monitor. ** It is important to note this case study is not intended to criticize Genie or its designers. Such a system is a necessary first step and a necessary pre-condition for a study such as this and its associated research. Our research is intended to enhance systems such as Genie by specifying functions and characteristics that provide more effective human-automation interaction. human operator who will occasionally troubleshoot, maintain, and repair it in mind--somewhat similar to the manufacturing concept of designing for maintainability. The results of this study suggest that even automation intended to function autonomously will occasionally require operator intervention. Though the operator will move from supervisory controller to manager-byexception, the automation must be human-centered in design. That is, the design must facilitate rapid human inspection, comprehension, intervention, repair, and