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Project # 13
Comparing Operators’ Cognitive Workloads for Operating Single vs. Multiple Drones
| Team Lead: | Matin Anaraki |
| Other Team Members: | Tazim Ahmed | Eshwara Sridhar |
| Faculty Advisor(s): | Shuchisnigdha Deb |
| Department: | IMSE |
| Project Type: | Graduate Student |
| Title: | Comparing Operators’ Cognitive Workloads for Operating Single vs. Multiple Drones |
| Abstract: | The global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market is projected to experience significant growth over the next few years. UAVs are often deployed in dynamic environments requiring high levels of operator responsibility. Industry has been advancing UAVs' automated capabilities to enhance safety and enable human operators to manage larger fleets efficiently. This development leads to a shift in operational paradigms where one operator manages multiple UAVs concurrently. However, several critical questions remain unresolved regarding how a single operator maintains situational awareness of UAVs and their surroundings while managing control across UAV fleets without increasing cognitive workload. This research aims to assess and compare the operator's cognitive workload while operating single vs. multiple UAVs and seeks to identify the key factors contributing to the operator's cognitive workload in increased drone-to-operator configurations. The researchers used a 2-by-2 factorial experiment in virtual reality with the number of drones (one vs. Two) and scenarios (simple vs. complex) and randomly assigned the trials to ten participants. Participants' cognitive workload was measured using heart rate variability and NASA TLX survey responses. Additional open-ended questions were used to identify key factors affecting their performance. |
| Poster: | View Poster #13 (PDF) |
| Judges Scoring: | Submit Evaluation (judges only) |