The Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness Directorate (AFRL/HE) supports research addressing human factors associated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operator control stations. Recent research, in collaboration with Rapid Imaging Software, Inc., has focused on determining the value of combining synthetic vision data with live camera video presented on a UAV control station display. Information is constructed from databases (e.g., terrain, cultural features, pre-mission plan, etc.), as well as numerous information updates via networked communication with other sources (e.g., weather, intel). This information is overlaid conformal, in real time, onto the dynamic camera video image display presented to operators. Synthetic vision overlay technology is expected to improve operator situation awareness by highlighting key spatial information elements of interest directly onto the video image, such as threat locations, expected locations of targets, landmarks, emergency airfields, etc. Also, it may help maintain an operator's situation awareness during periods of video datalink degradation/dropout and when operating in conditions of poor visibility. Additionally, this technology may serve as an intuitive means of distributed communications between geographically separated users. This paper discusses the tailoring of synthetic overlay technology for several UAV applications. Pertinent human factors issues are detailed, as well as the usability, simulation, and flight test evaluations required to determine how best to combine synthetic visual data with live camera video presented on a ground control station display and validate that a synthetic vision system is beneficial for UAV applications. OVERVIEWUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are aircraft without the onboard presence of a pilot or crew. Though the physical separation of the crew from the aircraft offers many promising benefits, it also presents challenges to the effective design of the UAV control station. Numerous human factors issues such as system time delays, poor crew coordination, high workload, and reduced situational awareness may negatively affect mission performance 1 . When onboard an aircraft, a pilot and crew receive a rich supply of multi-sensory information instantaneously regarding their surrounding environment. UAV operators, however, may be limited to a time-delayed, reduced stream of sensory feedback delivered almost exclusively through the visual channel.Of all the information displays within military UAV control stations, the video imagery from various cameras mounted on the UAV is particularly valuable. UAV pilots use imagery from the nose and gimbal cameras to verify clear path for taxi/runway operations, scan for other air traffic in the area, and identify navigational landmarks and potential obstructions. Additionally, sensor operators use imagery from a gimbal-mounted camera to conduct a wide variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities as well as to directly support combat operations. However, video...

The X-38 program began in early 1995 and is developing a series of test vehicles to demonstrate the low-cost technologies and methods required to develop a fully functional CRV that can rapidly return asfronauts from onboard the International Space Station (155) to earth. The X-38 program uses a gradual buildup approach and where appropriate, is taking advantage ofadvanced technologies that may help improve safety, decrease cost, reduce development time, and outperform traditional technologies. Four atmospheric test vehicles and one space-rated vehicle will be developed and tested during the X38 program. The atmospheric test vehicles are own as vehicle 131 (V131), vehicle 132 (V132), vehicle 131R (V13IR), and vehicle 133 (V133). The space-rated vehicle that will fly on the Shuffle in 2002, as a payload bay experiment, is known as vehicle 201 (V201).Since windshields and windows add considerable weight and risk to vehicle design, all the X-38 vehicles employ a windowless cockpit design. This windowless design philosophy and the desire to give crew members and operations personnel as much situational awareness as possible has allowed for the development and demonstration of the benefits of using a synthetic vision system. The system provides a simulated real-time 3D perspective that can be used during allweather conditions and during day or night operations. The information being displayed on the system is enriched with a wide variety of flight-related information. The system developed has been successfully used during live flight-testing of V132 and Vl3lR, While the advantages of a synthetic vision system are considerable, the major disadvantage of such a system is it's limitation to display a synthetic environment using "static" data that was acquired by an aircraft or satellite, at some point in the past The next generation synthetic environment system being developed, which we are calling the "3D-HUD", will take advantage of a video camera system to fuse live video imagery with the a computer generated synthetic scene. This hybrid system can display a dynamic, real-time scene ofthe region ofinterest, enriched by information from a synthetic environment system. On the X-38 program, this technology will help operators identify any large and significant obstacles that can pose a safety concern during the fmal flight phase ofour test vehicles.

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The goal of this research has been to design and field test a multi-use planetary rover vehicle. SCOUT has been developed to test advanced rover hardware and software technologies and to enable the development and demonstration of mission operations concepts applicable to future planetary rover vehicle development activities. Design/methodology/approach -This paper presents a description of the SCOUT vehicle capabilities and the results of the remote field testing conducted recently in Meteor Crater, AZ. These tests included (among others) onboard driving by suited crewmembers, remote teleoperation, autonomous point-to-point navigation, obstacle avoidance, human tracking and following, gesture recognition and onboard suit-recharge.Findings -SCOUT was successfully tested in all three driving modes (onboard by two suited crewmembers, teleoperation and autonomous) and additional capabilities verified over the course of the testing period.Research limitations/impilications -Various tests experienced periodic telemetry drop-outs to the vehicle. Future research should improve upon the communications architecture to minimize the loading on system bandwidth. Practical implications -A multi-use planetary rover will prove very useful on future Lunar and Martian exploration missions on an assortment of activities. In addition to equipment transport, riding on the rover will allow crewmembers to cover more surface area while conserving important extravehicular activity suit consumables. Originality/value -Several new concepts for rover technologies are presented here including on-board suit recharge, stereo-vision human tracking and following, gesture recognition and autonomous driving and navigation.

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