State oriented modeling as enabling technology for projective virtual reality

This paper introduces the use of supervisory control techniques for the realization of a new kind of intuitive man machine interfaces for complex automation systems. Such comprehensive user interfaces combine for the first time intuitive commanding capabilities: clear and vivid visualization of the system state as well as interactive training environments especially for the commanding of autonomous robotic systems over long distances. To achieve this, a state oriented modeling technique has been developed. It serves as an object oriented supervisory control framework and was integrated in the IRFs VR-system COSIMIR/sup (R)/ VR.