Advanced UMV operator interfaces

Abstract : In man portable platforms, the UMV is ideally very small, lightweight, rugged, and easy to operate [1]. It is essential that this platform meet these characteristics because a typical operator will be transporting the entire UMV system along with other mission critical These UMVs are usually used for "what's over the hill" type missions; requiring fairly autonomous operation to gain time critical, nearby information. The control stations for man portable UMVs will typically be no larger than a laptop and can be made to fit on smaller devices such as a PDA or head-mounted displays. For example, the Pointer UAV, developed by AeroVironment Corporation, is operated by the user through a large tablet-like PDA [2] (Figure 1). Another example of this can be seen in the work of Goodrich and Quigley (2004) [3]. However, ruggedization of this equipment will generally increase weight and size.