Talk 6

Abstract: Autonomous systems are increasingly being used for the purpose of training humans to attain new skills or perform new tasks. In these contexts, autonomous systems should be responsive to, and guide, human behavior such that skill or task performance is maximized. These systems generally rely on human performance to determine if assistance is needed. However, it is recognized that these systems should also respond to human cognitive factors, such as self–confidence, that are relevant for human learning. We propose and experimentally validate heuristic and model-based control strategies, based on both a user’s performance and self-reported self-confidence, that determines whether or not they receive automated assistance in learning how to land a quadrotor in a simulated environment. Through a human subject study involving a benchmark strategy that is solely performance-based, we show that the proposed strategy not only successfully calibrates the self-confidence of the participants, but also leads to statistically significant improvements in participants’ task performance and consistency after 20 trials relative to outcomes for participants who experience the benchmark strategy. Furthermore, we demonstrate how we mathematically quantify and detect when a participant advances through distinct learning stages and discuss the implications of this for improved closed-loop interactions between humans and autonomous systems.

Bio: Neera Jain is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering and a faculty member in the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories at Purdue University. She directs the Jain Research Laboratory with the aim of advancing technologies that will have a lasting impact on society through a systems-based approach, grounded in dynamic modeling and control theory. A major thrust of her research is the design of human-aware automation through controloriented modeling of human cognition. A second major research thrust is optimal design and control of complex energy systems. Dr. Jain earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009 and 2013, respectively. She earned her S.B. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. Dr. Jain and her research have been featured in NPR and Axios. As a contributor for Forbes.com, she wrote on the topic of human interaction with automation and its importance in society. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Air Force Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and private industry.