Neural networks for man/machine systems

This chapter discusses the various ways in which neural networks play a role in enhancing human/machine systems that include user-specific adaptive interfaces, adaptive aiding for operators, modeling human performance, and bioengineering. Neural networks can be used to develop baseline adaptive capabilities in an intelligent interface. Heger and Koen developed a simple neural network–based adaptive interface to a database. The interface acquires knowledge through its interactions with both the user and the database. The interface uses that knowledge to personalize the database retrieval process and to induce new queries. Recent neural network models of human behavior show that they are able to capture and model complex processes more effectively than what traditional artificial intelligence systems can do. A new application of neural networks in the field of bioengineering is just beginning to emerge. The application takes the concept of an adaptive interface to a new level, where the interface between the human and the machine becomes much more intimate and the precise boundaries between human and machine begin to dissolve.