Air traffic controller assistance systems for attention direction: Comparing visual, auditory, and tactile feedback

Abstract

Modern aircrafts have the capability to perform fuel-efficient and noise-reduced continuous descent approaches (CDA). A major obstacle to use these capabilities for approaching an airport is the synchronization of CDA-traffic and conventional non CDA-traffic. By developing assistance systems to direct the attention towards relevant events, air traffic controllers are supported when merging both aircraft streams. This leads to a complexity reduction of the information gathering process. Visual, auditory and tactile assistance systems were implemented in a microworld simulation. 55 participants had to merge CDA and non CDA-traffic, shortly before landing. The participants controlled the non CDA-traffic via radio, while monitoring the CDA traffic at the same time. Whenever a CDA airplane passed a critical waypoint, a visual, auditory, or tactile feedback was given to the participant to maintain a sufficient level of situation awareness. Visual feedback was presented via aircraft label blinking; auditory feedback was given via radio and tactile feedback was given via a vibrotactile feedback device attached to the wrist. The results indeed indicate that additional feedback about the CDA traffic has a positive effect on the visual attention and the situation awareness.