The Impact of Single-Operator versus Team Tele-operation of a Search Vehicle

This paper evaluates the tele-operation of a mobile sensor platform. In current operations, this land vehicle is controlled by a team consisting of a driver and a sensor operator. Our experiment is the first attempt, for this system, to assess the impact, if any, of using a single operator versus a team of two operators, in order to inform staffing decisions as well as the design of future automated functions. The experiment was conducted using a simulator and 24 participants: 8 single operators and 8 teams of two operators. Lower mission completion times arose for the two-operator condition in spite of any extra time and workload generated by communication required. Operators in teams also assessed the system as more usable. These findings give support to the team strategy for tele-operating mobile sensor platforms, and have implications for the staffing and design of similarly complex uninhabited vehicle systems.