ETHICS: A MISSION FOR THE ENGINEERING FEDERATIONS
Abstract Consideration is given to the dilemmas faced by engineers, if and when conflicts arise between the individual's sense of social responsibility and his specific technical interests. A specialized topic included with these is the protection required for whistle-blowers. In general, it is asserted that creating a climate in which ethical behaviour may flourish should be considered as one of the most sophisticated, but also one of the most rewarding, tasks facing the engineering federations. Recommended actions on behalf of IFAC and other engineering federations are outlined. Finally a warning is given against extremist attempts to exploit ethical issues in engineering.
Adapting automation to man, culture and society
Anxiety about the effects of automation on workers and society is at least 150 years old. The recent explosion of microelectronics and robotic applications has sharpened our understanding of both the gains and the risks: mismatch to human physiological, psychological and cultural characteristics; alienation from fulfillment and dignity in work; widening of the gap between skilled and unskilled workers and between technologically developed and underdeveloped communities; decrement in individual security. Attention to these problems can ensure that automation results in a better society. The control engineer, who is responsible for enlarging the scale of automation, should also play a role in adapting it to people. For the time being, technology should be individually designed to each culture.
Supervisory Control: Problems, Theory and Experiment for Application to Human-Computer Interaction in Undersea Remote Systems
Abstract : This technical report provides an overview of a four-year theoretical and experimental research project on human-computer cooperation in remote control of undersea manipulators and vehicles. The report puts forth a theoretical framework for viewing supervisory control in terms of a hierarchical interaction of three fundamentally different types of control loops: (1) interaction of a human supervisor with a high level computer; (2) interaction between the high level and one or more low level computers; and (3) interaction of the low level computers with the environment as mediated through artificial sensors and effectors. The perspective is one of coordinated allocation of human and artificial resources to various functions at various levels and times within given tasks. Numerous problems are discussed in conjunction with human and computer cognition, display, command and control, matching capabilities to tasks and evaluation aspects. Experiments performed in our laboratory on human supervisory control of remote undersea manipulators, vehicles and dynamic processes are reviewed briefly in relation to the theoretical constructs. These draw upon already published detailed reports of each experiment. (Author)