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PROJECTS:
Interactive High-Speed Train SimulatorThis work is being supported by the FRA's Office of Research and Development and is a joint effort between the Volpe Center and MIT. The central focus of this research is to examine the use of automation for high speed train operations. At the heart of the matter are the questions of what tasks are appropriate for a human to perform, what tasks are appropriate for a computer to perform, and what tasks should be shared. To answer these questions regarding automation and human performance, the Volpe Center and MIT built an interactive high-speed train simulator. The simulator hardware consists of a suite of Silicon Graphics computers that communicate over a local area network (LAN). The simulator was constructed at the Center for Human Factors Research in Transportation, which is operated jointly by the Volpe Center and MIT. The simulation consists of a central traffic controller and one or more train operators. These two parts of the simulation can be run separately or together. The controller sees an overview of the track network for which he or she is responsible. The train operator or engineer sees an out-the-window display and an instrument panel. Research has focused on two types of automation: control automation and display automation. Control automation aids the engineer in controlling the train while display automation aids the engineer in gathering and analyzing data. The control automation research looked at how different levels of control automation affected the engineer's situation awareness. How well does the control automation affect the engineer's awareness of events occurring inside and outside the train? The display aiding study measured how the different levels of display automation contributed to situation awareness and train control. Four displays with different levels of information were used, with only one level of control automation, manual control. |
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