Task Allocation for ALIAS (Automated Labor In-Cockpit Automation System)

We are working with Aurora Flight Sciences on the DARPA ALIAS program. This program seeks to provide an autonomous system that can be flexibly installed into any aircraft (fixed wing or rotorcraft) in the DoD inventory. The proposed solution includes an R2D2-style robotic copilot that can assist with tasks in the cockpit. In this paradigm, the standard multicrew cockpit instead contains a single human pilot and the ALIAS robotic system. Our role in this program is to identify the task allocation between the human and robotic pilots. Constraints that impact allocation include capabilities and limitations, workload, task sequencing and timing, and effective roles for safe flight. (Contact: Humans and Autonomy Lab, Cummings)