| Autor: |
Philip Root, Chris Dever, Laura Major Forest, Adam Fields |
| Rok vydání: |
2007 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
AIAA Infotech@Aerospace 2007 Conference and Exhibit. |
| DOI: |
10.2514/6.2007-2981 |
| Popis: |
Current Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) operators are reluctant to delegate control authority to autopilots in combat scenarios because of the inherent risk of failing a mission due to unintended SUAS action. Meanwhile a vast amount of research seeks to expand UAS operations into teams and swarms of vehicles. It is imperative to bridge this gap between current operational tactics and future technological advances for these systems to be employed to their fullest potential. Additionally, the design of improved autopilots that represent the expectations of current operators would allow mission controllers to perform more demanding missions. The key to bridging this gap is establishing operator trust and confidence in the UAS autopilot. This paper explores the use of a simulation-based strategy to develop UAS autopilots that employ human-inspired tactics to inspire operators’ confidence and ultimately improve overall mission performance. Experimental results indicate that a customizable autopilot tailored to each operator would greatly increase operator trust and lead to improvements in UAS swarms. Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUASs) represent the smallest of the spectrum of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) currently deployed in support of combat operations. These hand-launched aircraft provide tactical units with an organic means of reconnaissance for missions ranging from convoy security to area reconnaissance to direct action. Widely utilized throughout the US Army, Marine Corps and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), these aircraft have greatly improved the situational awareness for their units. Currently, SUAS operators rely on a minimal degree of autonomy during mission execution. Operators launch these aircraft by hand and land them without much automated assistance. While conducting reconnaissance, operators must constantly watch the video download to visually search for targets as well as to monitor the aircraft health and performance. Use of the autopilot is largely limited to waypoint navigation while under the supervision of the operator. Importantly, operators never relinquish control of their aircraft during flight; operators do not step away from their control unit until the flight is completed. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
