Automation in the Cockpit: Who's in Charge?

This paper discusses levels of automation and decision making and arrives at an overall design philosophy for allocating tasks to the pilot and the computer. In order to produce a levels of automation matrix three categories of pilot-computer interface (pilot only, blended, and computer only) and three types of goals, (mission, functional and task), are identified. These two dimensions are then used to create a matrix which can be employed as a means of comparing automated systems. The options that the matrix produces are discussed and examples given. The overall design philosophy is to have the mission goals accomplished in a blended manner with both the pilot and computer contributing. Lower level goals are handled exclusively by the computer. The reasoning for this philosophy is to allow the pilot to operate in a rule-based environment so that he can optimally cope with the greatly increased amounts of information he will face in future missions.