Spanda

Operator Capabilities

Operator capabilities extend the existing capability framework — the same traceability matrices, requires_capability checks, and spanda verify flows used for robots apply to human operators. No separate verification engine.

Capability tokens

Capability	Typical role	Mission use
`operate_robot`	Operator, Driver	Teleoperation, manual override
`approve_mission`	Operator, Supervisor, Safety Officer	Mission start / resume
`approve_recovery`	Supervisor, Safety Officer	Recovery plan execution
`emergency_override`	Supervisor, Safety Officer	Kill switch bypass with audit
`drone_pilot`	Operator, Driver	UAV control
`medical_responder`	Healthcare Worker, Emergency Responder	Medical missions
`hazmat_certified`	Safety Officer, Emergency Responder	Hazmat zone entry
`remote_expert`	Technician, Researcher	Remote assist sessions
`maintenance_technician`	Technician	Guided repair workflows
`forklift_operator`	Operator	Warehouse forklift missions
`search_rescue_operator`	Emergency Responder	SAR collaborative missions

Packages may register additional operator capabilities in the capability registry (same mechanism as spanda-nav → obstacle_avoidance).

Verification

Operator capabilities are verified the same way as hardware capabilities:

spanda verify warehouse_pick.sd --capabilities --traceability --config spanda.toml
spanda check warehouse_pick.sd --verification-json

Traceability columns include:

| Capability | Required By | Provided By | Human / Cert | Package | Status | |————|————-|————-|————–|———|——–|

Program requirements

Missions declare operator requirements with existing syntax:

requires_capability operate_robot {
  minimum_role = "operator"
  certification = "forklift-cert"
}

requires_capability approve_mission {
  minimum_role = "supervisor"
}

Programs do not use new HRI-specific keywords — requires_capability and continuity_policy cover collaborative gates.

Certification tracking

Certifications are TOML entries on human entities with expiry dates. Readiness fails when:

Certification is expired or missing
Operator is off_duty or unreachable
Trust level is restricted
Required capability is not in the operator’s capability list

[[humans]]
id = "operator-001"
capabilities = ["operate_robot", "forklift_operator"]
certifications = [
  { id = "forklift-cert", expires = "2027-06-01", issuer = "OSHA-12345" },
]

Role → capability defaults

Blueprint profiles may define role defaults in spanda.readiness.toml:

[human_roles.operator]
default_capabilities = ["operate_robot"]
required_certifications = ["site-safety-induction"]

[human_roles.supervisor]
default_capabilities = ["operate_robot", "approve_mission", "approve_recovery"]

Deployment-specific overrides remain in spanda.devices.toml.

Control Center

The Operator Readiness panel shows capability coverage per team member. The Approval Queue blocks mission start until approve_mission capability is satisfied by an available, certified operator.

See control-center.md.

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