New publication by Dr. Camille Peres and Dr. Ranjana K. Mehta, and Dr. Robin R. Murphy is now available in the journal Interaction Studies. The publication is titled “Water, lava, and wind: Lessons learned for field robotics and human factors research during real world disasters”, and explores the effects of fatigue on sUAS pilots during disaster response.

Peres, S. C., Mehta, R. K., & Murphy, R. R. (2023). Water, lava, and wind: Lessons learned for field robotics and human factors research during real world disasters. Interaction Studies, 24(3), 335-361. https://doi.org/10.1075/is.22048.per.

The publication can be accessed at https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/is.22048.per.

Abstract

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are used more regularly and widely in disaster response. Like other personnel involved in disaster response, the sUAS pilots work for long periods, experience extreme stress and fatigue. They often arrive at the disaster fatigued (due to long drives to get there). However, unlike other personnel in this domain, there is little research on the effects of fatigue on sUAS pilots. Our experiences with a series of three real-world deployments highlight the challenges of conducting human factors research during disaster response and recovery. We specifically present lessons learned from having participant researchers embedded in three disasters with the sUAS pilot teams. These lessons result in a set of feasible and non-interruptive methods and metrics for conducting human factors research during field events. Preliminary results and recommended next steps are presented.