APTIMA INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: Future operations will increasingly utilize unmanned vehicles (UxVs) to accomplish complex

Description

Future operations will increasingly utilize unmanned vehicles (UxVs) to accomplish complex missions. UxV"s have the potential to dramatically improve real-time situation awareness and increase mission success. Current advancements in performance and capabilities of UxVs and automated mission planning systems are enabling a shift from direct teleoperation towards supervisory roles. With this shift, there is a need to develop intelligent human-computer interface and interaction techniques that enable a single operator to remain cognizant of the current mission status and rapidly understand the state and activities of multiple vehicles in a multi-domain environment. Operators need intuitive, simple visualizations that enable quick and effective mission-level decisions, particularly during autonomous re-planning and re-tasking that require human assistance or intervention. To develop: (1) robust human-computer interactions for facilitating coordination by human operators and automated planning technologies for rapid course of action analysis; and (2) innovative visualizations and interfaces that adapt to changing needs based on context, Aptima and our partners propose to develop Adaptive Real-time Control Station INterfaces (ARCSIN). ARCSIN provides intuitive interfaces to operators that enable them to make real-time decisions in the face of unforeseen events, visualize recommended courses of action from mission planning systems, and reduce information overload to a manageable level.