Advanced MMI/MP for Demo III XUVs

Published

April 1, 1998

Author(s)

Stephen B. Balakirsky, M J. Salonish, S D. Allen, Elena R. Messina, J Salinas

Abstract

This paper outlines the goals and work accomplished thus far for both the man-machine interface (MMI) and mission planning (MP) elements of the eXperimental Unmanned Vehicle (XUV) program. It is the goal of the XUV program to make available to the user an interface and tools that will allow for seamless transition between mission planning, rehearsal, and execution on multiple collaborating autonomous vehicles in a platoon group. For scalability purposes, the final system will have two different levels of operator control unit (OCU). The Tier 1 controller will be a web-based control station, preferably a laptop, that will allow the user to control and view all major functions of the robotic vehicle. Tier 1 control will be accomplished via a web client interface executing Java applications. By using an independent web client for each vehicle, any number of vehicles may be controlled. The Tier 2 station will encompass the Tier 1 functionality with the additional capability of complex mission planning and scene visualization. The Tier 2 OCU will integrate control of the platoon (up to four vehicles) into a tightly coupled system executing on a two-dimensional and threedimensional rendering and control engine. In addition, an inter-vehicle interface is defined for collaboration at the vehicle level. Initial implementations of both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 OCUs exist and are in use today. The Tier 1 OCU is written in Java and provides vehicle level control of the XUVs. The Tier 2 system is based on the Combat Information Processor (CIP) and Virtual Geographic Information System (VGIS) from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). The Tier 2 system is capable of both 2D and 3D visualization of the battlefield environment and provides vehicle path planning for the XUVs. The Four Dimensional Real-Time Control System (4-D/RCS) reference model architecture is used as the basis for the division of decision and mission planning responsibilities among the control stations and the robotic vehicles.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the SPIE AreoSense 98 Conference

Conference Dates

April 13-17, 1998

Conference Location

Orlando, FL

Conference Title

SPIE AreoSense 98 Conference

Pub Type

Conferences

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Local Download

Keywords

Robotics & Intelligent Systems, Unmanned Systems, Mobility, Mission Planning, Robotic Vehicles, Robotics Demo III

Citation

Balakirsky, S. , Salonish, M. , Allen, S. , Messina, E. and Salinas, J. (1998), Advanced MMI/MP for Demo III XUVs, Proceedings of the SPIE AreoSense 98 Conference, Orlando, FL, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=820616 (Accessed October 21, 2025)