RPV research simulator [RPV research simulator]

According to the new mission of the Royal Netherlands Army, supervision and peacekeeping operations in unknown areas and areas of difficult access become increasingly prominent. In this connection, it is supposed that because of the huge number of potential applications and the rapid technological developments in the area of semi-autonomous systems to date, the use of remotely-piloted vehicles (RPVs) will substantially increase in the near future. Effective operation of RPVs, however, will be complicated by various human-factors problegard to perception, vehicle control, and training. Therefore, under contract to the Dutch Ground Forces, a research facility has been built by the TNO Human Factors Research Institute. The present report describes this facility and proposes the outlines of an associated research program. The facility consists of a flexible console of an RPV control unit, which is in principle fit for two operators (e.g., a camera interpreter and a platform controller or a unit commander). This console contains a monitor on which a computer-generated outside image can be dis-played, as sensored by a video or infra-red camera of an RPV (i.e., landscape with targets or a manipulator). The outside image is generated by an ESIG 2000 imaging system. The console also contains connection possibilities for various available controls intended to steer the camera/sensor or platform motions. In addition, a new active joystick has been developed intended to provide additional haptic cues to operators. Also a verbalo a verbal communication system with headsets can be used for communications among operators, providing commands, or for manipulation of workload by cognitive 'secondary' tasks. The proposed research focuses on four subjects: operator situational awareness, task allocation between human and automated information processing, interfaces providing extra information and feedback, and specifications for RPV training simulators. The knowledge acquired by this research will contribute to the judgement of system concepts and the development of new principles for optimal-ization of the human-machine interface of RPVs.