Advanced concepts and assistance systems are developed for pilots, controllers and control centre personnel in the department Human Factors in the context of human-centred automation. The department is firmly embedded in the Institute with its scope of tasks spanning across other departments. It supports the specialist departments as early as during preliminary concept phases. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary team of psychologists, engineers and computer scientists plans and manages the validations with operators in real-time simulations, field trials and flight tests.
The department's work is based on the European Operational Concept Validation Methodology (E-OCVM). According to this, the first step is to validate compliance with the operational requirements and check whether future users accept the new concepts. The next step is to prove how capacity, efficiency, safety, and not least human factors (particularly in terms of situational awareness and workload) are affected.
In the field of measurement methodology, the targeted use of eye point of regard measurements in the cockpit and at controller working positions using self developed analysis software is especially noteworthy. Moreover, tailor-made survey methods are developed and used in different areas of ATM research.
In addition to the cross-departmental tasks, the department has also delivered its own concepts such as the Remote Tower Operations. The general objective is to accommodate improvements in individual human-machine collaboration in equal measure to improvements in cooperation between airborne and ground systems and the human operateurs involved.
Another area of expertise is the modelling of pilot and controller work. Greater emphasis in the field of safety is being placed on ensuring safe behaviour in exceptional critical situations.