A Study on Human-Machine Cooperation on Decision Level

In the past decade, remarkable research has been done on human-machine cooperation to generate synergies and mutual benefits. However, most research so far only considers the control level of interaction with concepts like haptic shared control. This paper focuses on the emerging research on human-machine cooperation on higher levels of interaction to tackle more complex challenges. Therefore, we first introduce a generalized level model based on established models to define our research emphasis on emancipated human-machine cooperation on all levels. Second, the design and results of a study on human-machine cooperation on decision level are presented. We examine the negotiation behavior of humans in a scenario with discrete decision options and a deadline. The results indicate the validity of a previously proposed model based on negotiation theory to describe the observed human behavior. Additionally, the observed influencing factors on the negotiation behavior are crucial for a proper automation design: adaptation and identification methods are required to enable the automation to take part in an emancipated negotiation with a human.