Analysis of Trust and Attitudes of Autonomous System Operators in Civilian and Military Environments with Emphasis on Artillery
摘要
Autonomous systems are making significant changes in the military domain, particularly in artillery operations, where they enhance precision and efficiency of fire support. However, these technologies also raise important questions regarding effective human-machine collaboration, especially in high-stakes and critical environments. This paper examines operator attitudes toward autonomous systems and explores the connection between artillery scenarios and autonomous driving in logistics. Mobility, material transport, and convoy operations are critical to the effectiveness of fire support; therefore, the acceptance of and trust in autonomous driving functions are directly relevant to artillery practice. The theoretical framework is grounded in models of trust calibration in automation, emphasising the need to avoid both undertrust and overtrust by aligning reliance with actual system reliability. The empirical part employs a driving simulator and a questionnaire survey among professional drivers. The literature review first demonstrated the absence of currently applicable solutions in relevant military domains, then followed by experimental testing in the simulator and statistical analysis of attitudes. The focus on truck driving was chosen as a representative proxy for military logistics tasks closely tied to artillery; therefore, the results are directly applicable to artillery practice as well. The scientific contribution of this study lies in its analysis of user trust and acceptance of autonomous systems through a controlled experimental framework. The results offer new insights into the psychological and ergonomic dimensions of human-machine interaction. They may inform the design of user interfaces, training protocols, and deployment strategies for autonomous systems in real-world military and civilian contexts.