CAREER: Evaluating Capabilities of Neural Control in Human-Machine Interaction

本学院早期职业发展（Career）奖的研究目标是定量评估人机交互（HMI）中人类操作员的能力。研究方法由两部分组成。在第一部分中，人类操作员被视为一个混合神经控制器。基于神经系统的生理约束和建模功能来评估神经控制器的能力。在第二部分中，人类操作员被视为信息处理器和通信通道。神经系统的能力是根据人与机器之间的信息交换速率来量化的。这两个部分提供了互补的观点，并协同结合了控制理论、信息论、计算神经科学、非侵入性人体实验和计算机模拟在人在环控制系统的研究中。如果成功，这项研究的结果将为人机界面的有效性和人类控制器的基本局限性提供定量指标。这将对放弃不可能的设计或规范，确定系统可控性或任务可实现性，以及设计可能最大限度地利用人类控制命令的人机界面具有指导意义。这项研究也将促进对运动控制、学习和信息处理的神经组织和机制的理解。这些神经原理将激发智能和高级控制的新概念和新技术。这个项目的教育部分将为学生和在职工程师创造更多的机会，让他们认识到人为因素的重要性，并学习在工程系统设计中处理这些因素的技术。IEEE医学与生物工程学会将设立一个新的学生分会，以促进学生参与与现实工程世界中以人为本的设计相关的研究和专业活动。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award is to evaluate quantitatively the capabilities of human operators in human-machine interaction (HMI). The research approach consists of two parts. In the first part, the human operator is viewed as a hybrid neural controller. The capabilities of the neural controller are evaluated based on physiological constraints and modeled functions of the neural system. In the second part, the human operator is viewed as an information processor and a communication channel. The capacity of the neural system is quantified in terms of rate of information exchanges between the human and the machine. These two parts offer complementary views and synergistically combines control theory, information theory, computational neuroscience, non-invasive human experiments, and computer simulations in the study of human-in-the-loop control systems. If successful, the results of this research will provide quantitative indications of the effectiveness of HMI and fundamental limitations of the human controller. This will be instructive to discard impossible designs or specifications, determine system controllability or task achievability, and design HMI interfaces that may maximally utilize human control commands. This research will also promote the understanding of neural organization and mechanism for movement control, learning, and information processing. These neural principles will inspire new concepts and techniques for intelligent and advanced control. The educational component of this project will create more opportunities for students and working engineers to appreciate the importance of human factors and to learn techniques to handle these factors in engineering system design. A new student chapter of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society will be instituted to facilitate student involvement in research and professional activities related to human-centered design in real engineering world.