MIRIAM: A Multimodal Interface for Explaining the Reasoning Behind Actions of Remote Autonomous Systems

Autonomous systems in remote locations have a high degree of autonomy and there is a need to explain what they are doing and why , in order to increase transparency and maintain trust. This is particularly important in hazardous, high-risk scenarios. Here, we describe a multimodal interface, MIRIAM, that enables remote vehicle behaviour to be queried by the user, along with mission and vehicle status. These explanations, as part of the multimodal interface, help improve the operator's mental model of what the vehicle can and can't do, increase transparency and assist with operator training.