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Old 29th Dec 2012, 09:13
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cattletruck
 
Join Date: Apr 1998
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Whether we like it or not automation is here to stay, as it's essentially a profit driven concern.

Most complex automation systems only work well within a narrow set of parameters. Inside this known zone of expectation the operator (pilot) and the computer can produce efficiency gains that are substantial. When the system falls outside it's comfort zone, which is possible due to many reasons like an input not catered for, or a malfunction, or an operator encountering an unfamiliar situation, the role of the operator, although unchanged in goal (fly the plane), changes in implementation (from being 30 seconds ahead of the plane to asking "what's it doing now") - the operator is reduced to fighting a complex computer in a complex battle to perform the simplest of tasks with the likely consequence of producing another unexpected outcome that makes the situation worse than before.

The solution is to have a voting button (please don't call it a panic button) that demotes the computer to observer status. But this still doesn't get the operator into the clear as the information presented by the computer may not be correct. However the operator, if experienced enough, is free to make a sound judgement on the quality of the data presented and discount it as he/she see's fit, unlike the computer. And there is the rub.
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