Evaluating the applicability of current models of workload to peer-based human-robot teams

Human-Robot peer-based teams are evolving from a far-off possibility into a reality. Human Performance Moderator Functions (HPMFs) can be used to predict human behavior by incorporating the effects of internal and external influences such as fatigue and workload. The applicability of HPMFs to human-robot teams is not proven. The presented research focuses on determining the applicability of workload HPMFs in team tasks for first response mass casualty triage incidents between a Human-Human and a Human-Robot team. A model representing workload for each team was developed using IMPRINT Pro. The results from an empirical evaluation were compared to the model results. While significant differences between the two conditions were not found in all data, there was a general trend that workload in the human-robot condition was slightly lower than the workload experienced in the human-human condition. This trend was predicted by the IMPRINT Pro models. These results are the first to indicate that existing HPMFs can be applied to human-robot peer-based teams.