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Sources of Adaptive Capacity during Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations

Hughes, Thomas Carroll
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354621762

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Interest in the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) has emerged as a result of the increased capacity to connect distant operators. No longer do pilots need to be collocated with the air vehicles they control. High-bandwidth communication channels afford the opportunity to remotely control these platforms. The anticipated advantages of this approach are obvious. First, removing the crew from the platform represents significant weight reductions that can be exploited in the form of greater range or bigger payloads. The elimination of the cockpit affords greater flexibility in design of the airframe that can enhance the low observability characteristics thereby increasing survivability. With no need to worry about the g-tolerance of a pilot, restrictions on maneuverability are relaxed. Finally and most notably is the removal of human from harm’s way. UAVs can enter hostile airspace without the risk of friendly loss of human life. However, these potential benefits come with a heavy cost. Given the foreseen high potential benefits of UAVs, the challenge for developers has shifted from one of demonstrating their value on the battlefield to one of increasing the efficiency of their use. Given the increased demand for such assets, the using community must find ways to reverse the manning ratio for their use. Current concepts of operation require multiple operators for every unmanned system, a ratio will be difficult to sustain if the projected increase in use is to be believed. If this expanded use of UAVs is to be realized, a more desirable manning concept must be identified. However, coordinating control of multiple UAVs at a distance has proven difficult. Several human related issues remain. Research is ongoing addressing many of the traditional human integration problems such as workload, situation awareness, human-computer interface, human interaction with automation, etc. The current research investigates potential sources of adaptive capacity that could enable operators to effectively respond to the dynamic demands of current and future multi-UAV missions. Observations during resent simulation events suggest three themes that can support adaption during operations in response the dynamics inherent in operational task demands; 1) mechanisms to support attention management and seamless transition across tasks, 2) strategies that focus on distribution of tasking across operators that minimize coordination demands, and 3) the ability of operators to easily transition between levels or perspectives (narrow vs wide FOV). The current research investigates these issues, attempting to isolate sources of adaptive capacity and mechanisms that could be implemented within future UAV ground control stations to further the viability of multi-UAV operations.
David Woods, PhD (Committee Chair)
Philip Smith, PhD (Committee Member)
Emily Patterson, PhD (Committee Member)
Umit Catalyurek, PhD (Committee Member)
160 p.
Engineering
Cognitive Systems Engineering; Adaptive Control; Unmanned Systems

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hughes, T. C. (2012). Sources of Adaptive Capacity during Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354621762

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hughes, Thomas. Sources of Adaptive Capacity during Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations. 2012. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354621762.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hughes, Thomas. "Sources of Adaptive Capacity during Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1354621762

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1354621762
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.