Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, are participating in research on how robots influence human decision-making and military team performance. The research, conducted at the school's Warfighter Effectiveness Research Center, examines trust, communication and cooperation in human-machine teams, according to the academy.
The research uses three robotic platforms to understand how people interact with autonomous teammates: Pepper, a humanoid robot, and two quadruped robots named Vision 60 and Spot. Richard Niemeyer, an associate professor and director of the center, said the research examines what makes human-machine teams effective, what causes them to fail, and how those dynamics change as teams expand to include people and robots.
Cadets conduct controlled experiments examining how a robot's appearance, communication style, reliability and autonomy affect human decisions. Some experiments use functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a wearable technology that measures changes associated with brain activity, to understand why people follow robotic recommendations. In one experiment, participants work with a robotic teammate to prioritize supplies in a simulated desert survival scenario, with researchers varying how the robot attempts to influence participants' choices.
Air Force Cadet 1st Class Kaylin Chan, a behavioral sciences major assisting with the research, said the work has shaped her understanding of autonomous systems. "One of the biggest things I've learned is that human behavior is often more complicated than what we study in the classroom," she said. Researchers combine behavioral observations and brain activity measurements to understand why people follow robotic recommendations, since agreement does not necessarily indicate trust; it may reflect pressure or uncertainty.
Air Force Cadet 1st Class John Alves, an electrical and computer engineering major, helped establish research operations and supported a biofeedback study. Alves said the experience taught him that research requires thoroughness and careful documentation, and helped him recognize how technical decisions affect people. "As a future Air Force officer, I want to understand when these systems can help, when to question their outputs and when human judgment needs to take priority," he said.
The research combines behavioral and biological sciences, engineering, computer science, mathematics and ethics. Future research could explore whether combining robotic platforms with wearable technology could help robots identify when human teammates are experiencing cognitive overload and adjust how and when they provide assistance, according to the academy.