USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Human-Automation Teaming in Track Inspection

Document Series
Technical Reports
Author
Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-23/07
Office
RDI-24
Subject Human Factors
Keywords
Instrumentation, human-instrumentation teaming, HAT, human-centered design, human factors, track inspection, track instrumentation

This report provides a foundational overview of how the rail industry can approach the design of human-automation teams (HATs), with the goal of improving safety and efficiency in the track inspection process. The authors present a general process for designing HATs, then explore how this design process can be applied to track inspection. The report addresses four track inspection tasks (data collection, data analysis, decision making, and action) and presents broadly applicable considerations for HATs for each task. Railroads and manufacturers may use the design process and general considerations in this report to develop requirements specific to a given inspection technology.


Last updated: Monday, March 20, 2023