The Automation Paradox

1. The Automation Paradox ARW2011 Cape Town, South Africa 11thApril 2011 Joel Trewhella Australian Synchrotron

2. AUSTRALIAN SYNCHROTRON LOCATION

3. AUSTRALIAN SYNCHROTRON FACTS • Electron energy: 3 GeV • Storage ring circumference: 216m • Operating current: 200mA • First Users: May 2007 • Initial suite of 9 Beamlines • 2010 Operating statistics: • Availability: 98.47% • MTBF (hh:mm): 59:15 • MDT (hh:mm): 00:54 • Aerial view of Australian Synchrotron

4. DEFINITIONS Automation Definition Paradox Definition • A deviceoperated electronically, that functions automatically, without continuous input from an operator. • In logic, a paradox is a statement that contradicts itself • Example: `I always lie' is a paradox because if it is true it must be false • Paradox example: Ashtray with ‘No Smoking’ sign!! Automation Paradox Definition • As the reliability of the automation increases, in fact, the human operator can contribute less to the success.

5. When AUTOMATION goes bad in Real World! • There are plenty of examples of humans having trouble with automation systems in everyday life. • Incidents are stacking up of drivers performing illegal and dangerous actions only to blame the inevitable accident on their car GPS unit • In Great Britain. It's gotten so bad there that signs have been put up telling drivers to ignore their "sat nav" directions and not go any further down certain roads.

6. TO AUTOMATE OR NOT TO AUTOMATE ??? • Detection • Perception • Judgment • Induction • Improvisation • Long-term memory • Humans Surpass Machines in: • Machines Surpass Humans in: • Speed • Power • Computation • Replication • Simultaneous operation • Short-term memory • Division of responsibilities between man and machineshould take into account strengths and weaknesses of each and assign roles accordingly

7. INJECTION AUTOMATION Manual Injection System Procedure • ManualInjection requires approx > 200 button clicks on many GUI’s • Involves a complex procedure of correctly timed events • Multitude of Control room GUI’s

8. INJECTION AUTOMATION cont. Automated Injection system procedure • Ideally want a one button “FIRE’’, or none at all. • Is this wise?? • Should really have Operator interface • Error reporting read back • Running EPICS based control system – so can create routines that simply follow manual injection procedure. • Only limiting step is we have to manually open a switch to enable the beamline shutters

9. INJECTION AUTOMATION cont. AUTOINJECT • A standalone software layer was created called ‘Autoinject’. • This was structured on the accelerator network and utilising EPICS, was able to control all systems required for injections. • The code is programmed in C++ and consists of numerous sub routines that are utilised by an EDM GUI interface • Autoinjectwas designed and programmed in-house by the Operators. • This was important as it enabled precise programming of the software to meet the stringent requirements. • It would also benefit in the ease for any future updating purposes. • AUTOINJECT: automated injection system GUI

10. INJECTION AUTOMATION cont. AUTOINJECT implementation results

11. When AUTOMATION goes bad! Beamline Noise Instability • In December 2010, a period of approximately 7 hours was made unusable for beamlines. • Sharp instabilities at low frequencies were present on the beam during this period. • Far-IR beamline spectrum scan

12. When AUTOMATION goes bad! Beamline Noise Instability CAUSE • This was the result of injection system elements being left turned on after a manual injection. • Only upon unscheduled beam dumps are Operators required to intervene and perform manual injections. Autoinject in standby mode. • It is believed that as a direct result of Operators relying too much on automated injections, that Operators are becoming less familiar with certain standard operating procedures for systems because it has been automated. • The paradox is: the automated system has unevolved their knowledge and training in the complex system. • Far-IR beamline spectrum scan

13. PROS AND CONS OF AUTOMATION • Tasks that are seen as a burden for operators have been eliminated. This has allowed more time for creative and intellectual thinking and less stress on operators. • Reduce/eliminate the possibility of operator error or operator oversight that exists in manual control. • Operating efficiency enhanced by means of more precision and repeatability. • Increases lifetime and reliability of devices controlled by automated processes. • Pros • Cons • Over reliance in automated software causes loss of awareness of the skills of individual operators. • Increased pressure on operator to perform better and faster • It costs more to automate as time has to be invested in programming routines. • More complex, less observable systems.

14. OPERATOR TRUST AND EFFECTIVENESS • If the operator does not fully trust in the automation and decides to control system manually, human error and inefficiency can reduce their effectiveness. • Conversely, if the operator over trusts the automation and it fails, then their effectiveness is also reduced. • By fully understanding the true capabilities of the automation, a realistic level of trust can be established that will provide maximum effectiveness. 1 3 2 1 2 3

15. AUTOMATION CONCERNS • When control tasks are automated, the operator’s role converts to a supervisory and monitoring role. • Since the control task is almost always performed reliably by the automated system, the primary issues revolve around the operator’s ability to perform the monitoring role. This then raises concerns: • Under what conditions will human monitoring be better/worse failure detectors than as an active controller? • Is there a significant delay period between when human changes from passive monitor to active controller? • What should be the form of interaction between the operator and the automated system?

16. SOLUTIONS • Documentation should not be an afterthought. • Software quality assurance practices and standards should be established. • Designs should be kept simple. • Ways to get information about errors -- for example, software audit trails -- should be designed into the software from the beginning. • The software should be subjected to extensive testing and formal analysis at the module and software level; system testing alone is not adequate. • Operators involved in design of automation system will lead to more trust and understanding of automation. • Regular training sessions in which the operator is required to turn off their automated system and operate everything manually. This can help them retain their skills and alertness. • Do not take away control authority; the responsible operator must always have the means to override the automation and assume direct control, and sufficient training to do it effectively.

17. CONCLUSIONS • Even if automation is considered more reliable than humans, it may be a mistake not to allow a level of flexibility in the system for the operator to manually override in emergencies. • At the Australian Synchrotron, reliable operation of the automation is not the problem here; the automation is very reliable. Instead the issue is whether the automation can be successfully constructed to behave appropriately under every foreseeable and unforeseeable situation. This leads us to the conclusion whether we should be trusting automation over operators. • Trust has been shown to be one of the most important aspects of operator/machine relationships. This is due to the operator’s willingness to use the automated system to its full potential. By fully understanding the automation, operators can recognise the limitations in the system and intervene when the automation’s capability has been exceeded. • At least in the present state of technology, automated software and routines should never replace good rational human intuition or judgement. Instead, they should be designed to compliment it. Operator

18. FUTURE AUTOMATION WORK • Developing automated operation statistics logging system • Auto populate mysql database • Web based viewing portal • Generate weekly statistics reports • Generate elog entries • Integrated emailing system • Developing Top-up injection system

19. QUESTIONS???