The Human Challenges of Command and Control with Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The unmanned aerial vehicle represents a significant challenge to its operators since they are literally out of touch with the system they control. Operating from remote sites miles from the vehicle they control, they are isolated by space and time from a direct connection to the machine they operate. While the pilot of a manned aircraft can always receive some type of direct feedback from the machine they operate, even if they lose all their control and display systems, they can still perceive many qualities of that machine's system state merely from their senses. However, in contrast, the unmanned system is based solely on an electronic link connecting the operator to their vehicle. This paper will review the historical trends in remote vehicle operation and discuss state-of-the-art in remote control systems as they apply to single or multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.