Using humans as sensors in robotic search

The human role in sophisticated information gathering systems is usually conceived to be that of the consumer. Human sensory and perceptual capabilities, however, outstrip our abilities to process information by a substantial amount. The use of human operators as ldquoperceptual sensorsrdquo is standard practice for both UAVs and ground robotics where humans are called upon to ldquoprocessrdquo camera video to find targets and assist in navigation. In this paper we illustrate the human role as sensor referencing results of an earlier experiment investigating human performance of operator, navigator, or ldquoperceptual sensorrdquo tasks for teams of 4, 8, and 12 simulated pioneer P3AT robots. The experiment shows humans to be resource limited for the navigation/control task as the number of robots increases while the perceptual sensor function was less affected. We discuss the implications of using humans in a ldquoperceptual sensorrdquo role for information gathering from robotic teams and some of the difficulties including shifts in context and difficulties in developing situation awareness that are likely to arise.