The impact of unmanned weapon systems on individual and team performance

The U.S. military integrates unmanned systems within combat operations with greater regularity and scope each year. Warfighters currently conduct operations such as Improvised Explosive Device (IED) interrogation, and Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) surveillance and reconnaissance with various unmanned systems. Integration of unmanned weapon systems into human Fire Teams represents the next evolution in mixed-initiative teams. Such integration aims to improve individual and team performance; however, improved understanding and application of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) principles within combat environments is required. The research presented investigates the impact upon individual and team performance when a non-autonomous unmanned weapon system is integrated into a human Fire Team. Studies were conducted at two U.S. Army installations involving 36, four-person Fire Teams. At the first location, participants included pre-deployed novice soldiers, and the second installment included experienced soldiers as participants. All soldiers had previous weapon experience using an M16 rifle and M240B machine gun. Two conditions were compared: Fire Teams fully manned by human Warfighters and Fire Teams where one human Warfighter was replaced by a remotely operated weapon. Each team consisted of four members: one M240B Gunner and three M16 Rifleman. The teams completed simulated missions utilizing the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 (EST 2000), a virtual training simulator that executes various mission scenarios. The Fire Teams completed two different scenarios, each consisting of a manned and unmanned condition. In the unmanned condition, the Gunner operated a remotely operated weapon from a separate location. Performance was primarily measured by recording the total number of targets hit by each team member during scenario execution. Paired samples t-tests revealed significant differences in individual performance from the manned to unmanned conditions. Individual Riflemen improved performance from manned to unmanned scenarios. However, the Gunners significantly decreased in performance when operating the remote weapon system during the unmanned condition. Team performance did not reveal a significant difference in performance across conditions. This paper describes the experimental plan and methodology, followed by a discussion of experimental results and recommendations for future mixed-initiative team research.