Design for Resilient Human-System Interaction in Autonomy: The Case of a Shore Control Centre for Unmanned Ships

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we interact with vehicles. We examine the case of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), which are emerging as a safer and more effective solution for maritime transportation. Despite the focus on autonomy, humans are predicted to have a central role in MASS operations from a Shore Control Centre (SCC). Here, operators will provide back-up control in the event of system failure. There are signification design challenges with such a system. The most critical is human-system interaction in autonomy (H-SIA). We consider humans as the source of resilience in the system for adapting to unexpected events and managing safety. We ask, can Human-Centred Design (HCD) be used to create resilient interactions between MASS and SCC? Work has been done in resilience engineering for complex systems but has not been extended to H-SIA in transportation. “Resilient interaction design” is relevant as we progress from design to operational phase. We adopted the ISO 9421-210 guideline to structure our HCD approach. The result is an SCC designed for 1 Autonomy Operator (AO). The contribution is a demonstration of how resilient interaction design may lead to safer and more effective H-SIA in transportation.