Interactive UI for Autonomous Machine Status and User Confidence

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional autonomous machines lack effective interaction with users, leading to a lack of understanding about future actions and decision-making processes, which decreases user confidence and comfort.

Innovation Solution

The development of an interactive user interface that receives machine status information, publishes it on a distributed node system network, and generates an interface allowing users to interact with autonomous machines, providing real-time information and control over operations such as route modifications through a timeline, communication layer, and indications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If autonomous machines operate with limited user input, then automation level increases, but user understanding and confidence decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation levelVSAvoiduser understanding
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by publishing machine status information to a distributed network and generating an interactive user interface that displays timeline, communication layer, and indications. This allows users to receive continuous information about autonomous machine operations, maintaining understanding while automation operates independently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary communication system consisting of a distributed node network and primary interface controller that mediates between the autonomous machine operations and the user. This intermediary translates machine status into comprehensible visual representations, bridging the information gap created by high automation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If autonomous machines operate independently, then operational efficiency increases, but user confidence and comfort decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational efficiencyVSAvoiduser confidence
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The interactive user interface provides continuous feedback about machine status, actions, and decisions through timeline visualizations and communication layers. This transparency builds user confidence while allowing the autonomous machine to operate efficiently with minimal direct user intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses visual indicators including color changes in the user interface to communicate machine status and decision-making processes. These visual cues provide intuitive feedback that enhances user understanding and confidence without interfering with autonomous operation efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

3Loss of information

If detailed machine status information is provided to users, then user understanding improves, but interface complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation transparencyVSAvoidinterface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments machine status information into distinct visual components: timeline showing sequence of events, communication layer displaying machine-user interactions, and indications highlighting current status. This segmentation organizes complex information into manageable visual segments that are easier to process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms complex machine status data into a visual dimension through graphical representations on the user interface. By mapping temporal and hierarchical information onto spatial visual displays, the interface presents comprehensive information in an intuitively understandable format without increasing perceived complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3353497B1Systems and methods for generating an interactive user interface
Publication Date: 2021.09.01 APPLE INC
  • EP3353497B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3353497B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3353497B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for interaction between a user and a machine. In one implementation, machine status information for the machine is received at a dedicated machine component. The machine status information is published onto a distributed node system network of the machine. The machine status information is ingested at a primary interface controller, and an interactive user interface is generated using the primary interface controller. The interactive user interface is generated based on the machine status information. In some implementations, input is received from the user at the primary interface controller through the interactive user interface, and a corresponding action is delegated to one or more subsystems of the machine using the distributed node system network.