ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the possibilities for the design of the automation system for autonomous ships that may enable a better HAI to be designed. The objective is to create a more deterministic behaviour as seen from the human designer or operator, and by that make the allocation of tasks and responsibilities between human and automation more efficient and safer. The goal of the work presented here is to contribute methods to extend autonomy to higher abstraction levels while giving human operators a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the automation system. The initial proposal of this text was that a more deterministic automation system in industrial autonomous systems may increase the operator’s trust in the automation and by that improve the efficacy of the HAI for periodically unattended autonomous operations. Independent of the human-factor angle, it is also believed that the concept can be used to improve testability and eventually also formal acceptance of autonomous control systems.
