Ground control
stations (GCS) are constantly being evolved. As technology and methodology in
the UAS field progresses, the capabilities are being tested and boundaries
governing what a system can or can’t do are being pushed. To that end the
Raytheon Company has created a unique GCS known as the Common Ground Control
System (CGCS) that leverages the hand-eye coordination and learning curves
found in video game development to build a GCS that is more intuitive and that
lessens the time needed in training. The intent is to adhere to the NATO STANAG
4586 standard and create a "universal" GCS.
Through its
use of a first person perspective, the CGCS, "...immerses the pilots or
the operators in the system and helps them project their minds into the battle
space. They actually feel like they are riding on the UAV.” according to Mark
Bigham of Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems (Defense Industry
Daily, 2014). Raytheon's CGCS allows use of multiple UAV types, and aims to
reduce losses and errors through its integrated system with customizable
configurations and human factor ergonomic considerations such as
pilot/operators being able to stand or sit and multi-function control (Raytheon
Company, 2014).
Running common
core UAS U2 software, the CGCS is the sole system providing U.S. government
administration rights to the source code and interfaces. According to Raytheon
Company, "The government has the source code to the UAS framework, owns
the open, documented interfaces and makes them readily available for vendors to
adapt and compete to provide the latest innovative ideas and applications."
(Raytheon, 2014). According to the company, the CGCS provides three benefits:
- - Flexibility to scale the ground station
from large headquarters implementations all the way down to handheld‑phone‑size
controllers.
- -Allows unmanned systems management
functions and information to be distributed across the total enterprise.
- -Open, common, nonproprietary
architecture minimizes life‑cycle costs, simplifies configuration management,
and reduces training time and costs.
It is in these all these claims that
certain human factors question can arise. A primary factor behind the CGCS is
the cockpit view for ground pilots. While this is certainly an improvement, the
issues in lens angle still exist and can create issues in airspace situational
awareness. Certainly this is found in manned flight as well, but in the case of
manned flight it is limited to peripheral vision - for the most part. In UASs
there is currently limited field of view, leaving operators to rely on GPS
locating to try and determine proximity to other aircraft, a not always
successful approach. To combat this, the CGCS is certainly heading in the right
direction, which is, increasing the display area as shown on their website
where operators use 3 monitors to broaden their viewpoint.
Secondly, the CGCS claims to reduce
manpower requirements by 20% (Defense Update, 2014). But as necessary crew
shrinks, the cognitive load on pilot/operators increase with more information
coming their way, and more responsibility being placed on them. Again, manned
pilots undergo many sensory inputs at a time, however they are often split
between the HUD/equipment, and their own sensory perceptions. In the case of
the UAS pilot there is no such benefit of being "there" in the
aircraft to use natural occurring inputs to aid in decisions. They are left to
only digital inputs presented to them on screen. One technique to aid in the
sensory overload of operators, is to keep operating times to a minimum, meaning
more pilot scheduling turnaround time. Working in short "bursts"
alternating shifts can keep minds fresh and focused on all the information
being streamed their way. Additionally, I believe that adding more than visual
cues would help in operations. Incorporating sensors linked to gyro outputs in
equipment much like a simulator, one could give the ground pilots more of the
sensation a traditional manned pilot would feel, and increase focus as the
interface then becomes more "real". This approach is used when
designing equipment, the goal of which is to keep the user focused and fend off
boredom and keep thoughts from drifting from the task at hand.
The CGCS is a revolutionary design
that has caught the attention of the UAS community and government agencies. The
developments the system introduces will help mitigate certain human factor
issues presently found in traditional proprietary GCSs. The unique training
methods and intuitive controls and interface, make the CGCS a candidate for
more user-friendly GCSs. While there are still factors to be aware of, the CGCS
is not a solve-all solution, however, the technology and capabilities it
introduces will benefit the operators looking to improve human-machine
interface and better conduct UAS operations.
References:
Raytheon
Company (2014). Common Ground Control
System (CGCS) (2014). Retrieved from:
http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/cgcs/
Defense
Industry Daily (2014). It’s Better to
Share: Breaking Down UAV GCS Barriers (2011).
Retrieved
from: http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/uav-ground-control-solutions-06175/
Defense
Update Magazine (2014). Raytheon Offers
More Efficient Ground Control for the
Predator.
Retrieved from: http://defense-update.com/products/c/cgcs.html#more
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