Identifying Suitable Algorithms for Human-Computer Collaborative Scheduling of Multiple Unmanned Vehicles

Real-time scheduling and task assignment for multiple Unmanned Vehicles (UVs) in uncertain environments will require the computational ability of optimization algorithms combined with the judgment and adaptability of human supervisors. Identifying the characteristics that make a scheduling algorithm suitable for human-computer collaboration is essential for the development of an effective scheduling system. This high-level systems analysis paper begins the process of deriving requirements for collaborative scheduling algorithms by conducting a survey of 117 publications within the past five years in academia and industry on multiple UV scheduling algorithms. The goal of the survey is to determine the types and frequency of scheduling algorithms that are currently in use and to classify the characteristics and capabilities of these algorithms. Results show that academia has settled on meta-heuristic and auction-based algorithms as providing the best balance of performance and computational speed. In industry, however, the most widely used solution methods are “iterative” approaches that monotonically improve the schedule with further iterations. Industry-developed algorithms are more likely to be capable of scheduling heterogeneous UVs, but university researchers have developed more algorithms that can account for uncertainty and provide estimates of robustness. The different objectives of industry practitioners and academic researchers may be driving these disparities. Addressing this gap will be essential to the development and adoption of future humancomputer collaborative scheduling systems.

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