Target Acquisition Involving Multiple Unmanned Air Vehicles: Interfaces for Small Unmanned Air Systems (ISUS) Program

摘要

The use of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and micro air vehicles (MAVs) in military reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) missions is becoming increasingly widespread. The Supervisory Control Interfaces Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory is exploring interface design techniques to support multiple-UAV, single-operator employment concepts. These employment concepts require that a single operator monitor manage multiple vehicles and or sensors which may increase visual/cognitive workload and degrade performance. This paper reviews four experiments performed for the Interfaces for Small Unmanned Systems (ISUS) Program involving target acquisition in the multiple-UAV context. The goals were to characterize and improve human performance. Experiment 1 examined unaided operator performance in a target acquisition task involving multiple MAV videos. Experiment 2 compared operator performance when target acquisition was aided and unaided for multiple simulated MAV videos. Experiment 3 examined the effect of display size on unaided target acquisition for multiple MAV videos. Experiment 4 compared target acquisition performance for unaided human operators with that of an automated cooperative controller in accomplishing a complex task involving the prosecution of ground based targets with Wide Area Search Munitions (WASMs). The findings and lessons learned are the basis for recommendations that could provide valuable insights into the size and configuration of the sensor display for performing target acquisition, especially those requiring simultaneous monitoring of multiple videos. The findings also may contribute to shaping employment concepts and technology requirements for future unmanned aerial systems.