Supervisory Control of a Flexible Manufacturing System

This paper describes a study that explored human capabilities in supervisory control of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Implications of current design strategies concerning the human supervisory role in FMSs are discussed. Also examined are issues in human supervisory control that arise from features characteristic of these types of automated systems. A real-time interactive simulation methodology is described that served as the basis for evaluating human performance. Results are explained in terms of two frameworks: (1) one that incorporated hypothetical dimensions of the mental workload construct into various task conditions; and (2) a simple decision-making model intrinsic to which was the imposition on the human of a relatively well-defined locus of control. The effectiveness of graphics was evaluated as a decision-support device aimed at enhancing human pattern-recognition capabilities.