A method for team intention inference

Recent advances in man–machine interaction include attempts to infer operator intentions from operator actions, to better anticipate and support system performance. This capability has been investigated in contexts such as intelligent interface designs and operation support systems. While some progress has been demonstrated, efforts to date have focused on a single operator. In large and complex artefacts such as power plants or aircrafts, however, a team generally operates the system, and team intention is not reducible to mere summation of individual intentions. It is therefore necessary to develop a team intention inference method for sophisticated team–machine communication. In this paper a method is proposed for team intention inference in process domains. The method uses expectations of the other members as clues to infer a team intention and describes it as a set of individual intentions and beliefs of the other team members. We applied it to the operation of a plant simulator operated by a two-person team, and it was shown that, at least in this context, the method is effective for team intention inference.