Human interaction with lights-out automation: a field study

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. 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 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 occasionally requires operator intervention. Though the operator moves from supervisory controller to manager-by-exception, the automation must be human-centered in design, i.e. the design must facilitate rapid human inspection, comprehension, intervention, repair and maintenance.