A real-time dynamical analysis method that was developed to detect unexpected perturbations in team communication is described. The use of the method is demonstrated on perturbed communication from a three-person uninhabited air vehicle command-and-control team. The generalisability of the method is considered with respect to physiological and motor coordination dynamics.

No abstract

A STE (Synthetic Task Environment) provides the context for a suite of synthetic tasks in which skills pertinent to the corresponding real-world task can be exercised in a controlled setting, thus bridging the gap between lab and field studies. The UAV (Uninhabited Air Vehicle)-STE described in this paper was designed to provide a flexible research platform, yet realistic task environment, for team performance research and the measurement of team cognition. The abstraction of task features from the real UAV task environment occurred with these objectives serving as a filter. In the resulting UAV-STE, three team members work together to control and navigate the UAV and to take photographs of designated targets. Whereas, there are similarities between the synthetic and real UAV task environments, the differences reflect the objectives in that the UAV-STE exaggerates team cognition, provides task and measurement flexibility, and allows for relatively rapid skill acquisition by inexperienced participants.

Exciting and important applications of pulsed power and high voltage technology are found in the growing area of electromagnetic launch and propulsion.These applications include small-scale, precision staging devices (magnetically driven), low-speed, large mass catapult launchers, low-speed and high-speed trains, high-speed, long-range fire support naval guns, and the futuristic application of high-speed, direct satellite launch to space. The force requirements range from a few Newtons to millions of Newtons, and the pulsed electrical power requirements range from kilowatts to gigawatts. For repetitive operation, the average prime power requirements range from a few watts to megawatts. The principal technical challenges for such propulsive devices and motors are achieving high thmst and high coil strength, producing and controlling high power levels, and maintaining good weight, volume, and efficiency characteristics. These challenges will be discussed, using coilgun mass launcher and pulsed linear induction motor technology examples. Basic parameters for a long-range fire support coilgun are a muzzle velocity of 2.0 to 2.5 !ads, with a projectile mass of 20 to 60 kg. The kinetic energy is thus around 100 to 200 MJ. To achieve the pulsed power needed for launch f?om a barrel of less than 20 m, peak coil voltages and currents on the order of 40 kV and 500 kA to 1 MA are needed. Train propulsion is somewhat lower in power demand. The kinetic power for a typical low-speed urban maglev system would be in the range of 500 kW average power, driven by a power source of some 25 kVpeak and SO Apeak. The added requirement of low weight and small volume power conditioning make this application challenging as well. The challenges and solutions for high-voltage power conditioning system designs will be reviewed from these examples.