On Monday, Patrick Craven of Advanced Technology Laboratories at Lockheed Martin spoke to the College of Information Sciences and Technology about human computer interactions in the military as part of the college’s colloquium series.
Titled “Human- Computer interaction solutions in the military and intelligence community,” Craven’s presentation first outlined what his laboratory does at Lockheed Martin and then reviewed three main ideas he focuses on to complete his research.
Craven described the importance of information collection, improving operator understanding and training.
“What are some other ways humans can interact with technology?” Craven asked.
According to Craven, when working with the Department of Defense and other members of the intelligence community, the type of warfare is not standard but instead stability operations. Threats tend to blend in with the population and make it hard to identify. To combat this problem, the military begins by training native forces.
During this, they begin to study the native forces, developing an understanding for their needs and where their motivations begin. However, during transition of companies, discontinuity can make it difficult to translate the valuable information.
Using war fighters to collect social information, Craven described how it was necessary to develop a program to take notes and structure data input. If the data is structured from the beginning, it can reduce the desire for insurgency. Craven said that solutions should focus on the needs of natives and improve understanding of those needs to allow for preservation.
“The brain is very complex but we want to make use of the operator’s brain,” he said.
Through training, Craven’s research shows that the challenge of a computer registering diverted attention can be combated by improved training and studying the brain at different stages of interaction.
To view the video archive of this presentation, please visit http://live.ist.psu.edu/live/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=8ae3ed5e705344dbb7dc4dfe1960cefa1d.