Towards a training methodology for skilled teleoperation

A novel approach to the design of training methodologies or programs for operators in man-machine systems and its application to the training of skilled human teleoperators is described. This approach requires that training goals are separated into four distinct categories: the maximization of performance consistency or reliability for critical tasks, the maximization of positive transfer between learned and new tasks, the minimization of the effects of internal operator states (e.g. fatigue, stress, workload), and the minimization of the effects of situational uncertainty or anomaly on performance. Being different from one another in fundamental ways these categories or goals entail the development and application of different training techniques. The paper reports the development of training procedures for achieving the first goal, that of performance consistency, for skilled teleoperators. This part methodology was evaluated against the training practices commonly used in the field, and was found to enhance the learning, hence promote the acquisition of performance consistency, of a challenging and realistic satellite servicing task