Using object process methodology to develop interfaces and smart electronic procedures for simulated telerobotic operations

Abstract

This thesis addresses two questions: 1) How should an existing space telerobotic simulator be extended to incorporate Smart Electronic Procedures (SEP)? 2) Are there benefits to using a single Object-Process Methodology (OPM; ISO 19540) from the field of system engineering as an alternative to the Task Analysis (TA) methods traditionally used in human factors engineering (HFE)? A NASA sponsored EP development project provided the opportunity to investigate. HFE traditionally supports analysis and design by using multiple Task Analysis (TA) methods, including Hierarchical TA (HTA), Tabular TA (TTA), and Abstraction Hierarchy (AH). But the three techniques combined neither defines all the necessary preconditions for each task to succeed nor produces an executable model of the entire system that can be simulated and tested for logical correctness, and results are presented in a form that can be difficult for others to comprehend. To evaluate OPM usefulness, a space telerobotic operation was analyzed using successive HTA, TTA and AH techniques, and compared with a corresponding OPM analysis. A single OPM model precisely specified the preconditions and post-conditions for all the processes and described the relationships between system objects-both human and non-human-and the processes in its hierarchy of Object-process Diagrams that translate on the fly to Object-Process Language - a subset of natural English. Advantages of OPM include its holistic approach, bimodal presentation, simplicity, computability, and logical correctness testing capability via animated simulation. The OPM model also defined the architecture and logic of the SEP and the Control Panel(CP) - two essential parts incorporated into the existing telerobotic simulator. Simulated subsystems were introduced to enable simulation of setup, shutdown and off-nominal scenarios as defined by the OPM model. The SEP has several automation options, catches erroneous actions and ensures preconditions for each step are satisfied. The CP interfaces has several functions, including automating failure recovery and showing automated customize procedures to restore system to pre-failure configuration. This thesis considered only one application and further applications are needed to demonstrate the utility of OPM in the broader HFE domain. Nonetheless, the advantages of OPM over traditional TA methods demostrated OPM as a viable alternative to current HFE practices.