Computational experimentation to understand C2 for Teams of Autonomous Systems and People

The technological capabilities of autonomous systems (AS) continue to accelerate. Although AS are replacing people in many skilled mission domains and demanding environmental circumstances, people and machines have complementary capabilities, and integrated performance by AS and people working together can be superior to that of either AS or people working alone. We refer to this increasingly important phenomenon as Teams of Autonomous Systems and People (TASP), and we identify a plethora of open, command and control (C2) research, policy and decision making questions. Computational experimentation offers unmatched yet largely unexplored potential to address C2 questions along these lines. The central problem is, this kind of C2 organization experimentation capability has yet to be developed and demonstrated in the TASP domain. This is where our ongoing research project begins to make an important contribution. In this article, we motivate and introduce such TASP research, and we provide an overview of the computational environment used to experiment on TASP C2 organizations and phenomena. We summarize in turn the research method. Key results follow, and we conclude then by summarizing our agenda for continued research along these lines.Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research (CRUSER)Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research (CRUSER)Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Challenges in Vehicle Safety and Occupant Protection for Autonomous Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) Vehicles

The burgeoning electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle industry has generated a significant level of enthusiasm amongst aviation designers, manufacturers and researchers. This industry is determined to change the urban transportation paradigm from traditional ground-based vehicles (cars, taxis, buses) to air-based eVTOL vehicles which can be summoned, much like how conventional taxi services work currently. These new eVTOL vehicles are designed to be small and lightweight and operate autonomously without user intervention. There are many unknowns as to how the industry will mature. The logistics of creating a completely new category of vehicle along with its own set of rules are complex, and there are many known - and unknown - barriers to overcome. Some (of many) known barriers include airspace management, ground logistics, physical space, and, the vehicle design itself. There are many eVTOL vehicle manufacturers and organizations working these problems presently. This report will focus on one major barrier: the level of safety as it pertains to the framework of eVTOL vehicles. A high level of safety is necessary for the vehicles to gain acceptance as the public adapts to these autonomous ride-sharing services. An overview of current levels of transportation safety and some extrapolation into how eVTOL vehicles might compare is first presented. Next, a discussion categorizing the major differences between Crash Prevention and Crash Mitigation as it pertains to eVTOL vehicle safety is included with identification of current deficiencies. The report then expands into a framework for specific ideas that could use Crash Mitigation to improve vehicle safety through a crashworthy systems level approach with several designs highlighted. Finally, a brief discussion into the regulatory approach and potential guidelines as they pertain to new eVTOL vehicles is presented. Accordingly, much of the supplemental data will be taken from sources pertaining to either General Aviation (GA) aircraft, rotorcraft, or transport category aircraft, due to the lack of overarching data from eVTOL vehicles. As of this writing, the European Aviation Safety Agency has released a draft version of a VTOL Special Condition, with a comment period closing in late 2018. It is assumed that eventual expected operations and anticipated future regulations for VTOL vehicles will consist of some combination of these (and other) sources

Comparison of Ground-Based and Airborne Function Allocation Concepts for NextGen Using Human-In-The-Loop Simulations

Investigation of function allocation for the Next Generation Air Transportation System is being conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). To provide insight on comparability of different function allocations for separation assurance, two human-in-the-loop simulation experiments were conducted on homogeneous airborne and ground-based approaches to four-dimensional trajectory-based operations, one referred to as ground-based automated separation assurance (groundbased) and the other as airborne trajectory management with self-separation (airborne). In the coordinated simulations at NASA s Ames and Langley Research Centers, controllers for the ground-based concept at Ames and pilots for the airborne concept at Langley managed the same traffic scenarios using the two different concepts. The common scenarios represented a significant increase in airspace demand over current operations. Using common independent variables, the simulations varied traffic density, scheduling constraints, and the timing of trajectory change events. Common metrics were collected to enable a comparison of relevant results. Where comparisons were possible, no substantial differences in performance or operator acceptability were observed. Mean schedule conformance and flight path deviation were considered adequate for both approaches. Conflict detection warning times and resolution times were mostly adequate, but certain conflict situations were detected too late to be resolved in a timely manner. This led to some situations in which safety was compromised and/or workload was rated as being unacceptable in both experiments. Operators acknowledged these issues in their responses and ratings but gave generally positive assessments of the respective concept and operations they experienced. Future studies will evaluate technical improvements and procedural enhancements to achieve the required level of safety and acceptability and will investigate the integration of airborne and ground-based capabilities within the same airspace to leverage the benefits of each concept

Comparison of Airborne and Ground-Based Function Allocation Concepts for NextGen Using Human-In-The-Loop Simulations

This paper presents an air/ground functional allocation experiment conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) using two human-in-the-Loop simulations to compare airborne and ground-based approaches to NextGen separation assurance. The approaches under investigation are two trajectory-based four-dimensional (4D) concepts; one referred to as "airborne trajectory management with self-separation" (airborne) the other as "ground-based automated separation assurance" (ground-based). In coordinated simulations at NASA's Ames and Langley Research Centers, the primary operational participants -controllers for the ground-based concept and pilots for the airborne concept - manage the same traffic scenario using the two different 4D concepts. The common scenarios are anchored in traffic problems that require a significant increase in airspace capacity - on average, double, and in some local areas, close to 250% over current day levels - in order to enable aircraft to safely and efficiently traverse the test airspace. The simulations vary common independent variables such as traffic density, sequencing and scheduling constraints, and timing of trajectory change events. A set of common metrics is collected to enable a direct comparison of relevant results. The simulations will be conducted in spring 2010. If accepted, this paper will be the first publication of the experimental approach and early results. An initial comparison of safety and efficiency as well as operator acceptability under the two concepts is expected

Analysis of a Dynamic Multi-Track Airway Concept for Air Traffic Management

The Dynamic Multi-track Airways (DMA) Concept for Air Traffic Management (ATM) proposes a network of high-altitude airways constructed of multiple, closely spaced, parallel tracks designed to increase en-route capacity in high-demand airspace corridors. Segregated from non-airway operations, these multi-track airways establish high-priority traffic flow corridors along optimal routes between major terminal areas throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). Air traffic controllers transition aircraft equipped for DMA operations to DMA entry points, the aircraft use autonomous control of airspeed to fly the continuous-airspace airway and achieve an economic benefit, and controllers then transition the aircraft from the DMA exit to the terminal area. Aircraft authority within the DMA includes responsibility for spacing and/or separation from other DMA aircraft. The DMA controller is responsible for coordinating the entry and exit of traffic to and from the DMA and for traffic flow management (TFM), including adjusting DMA routing on a daily basis to account for predicted weather and wind patterns and re-routing DMAs in real time to accommodate unpredicted weather changes. However, the DMA controller is not responsible for monitoring the DMA for traffic separation. This report defines the mature state concept, explores its feasibility and performance, and identifies potential benefits. The report also discusses (a) an analysis of a single DMA, which was modeled within the NAS to assess capacity and determine the impact of a single DMA on regional sector loads and conflict potential; (b) a demand analysis, which was conducted to determine likely city-pair candidates for a nationwide DMA network and to determine the expected demand fraction; (c) two track configurations, which were modeled and analyzed for their operational characteristic; (d) software-prototype airborne capabilities developed for DMA operations research; (e) a feasibility analysis of key attributes in the concept design; (f) a near-term, transitional application of the DMA concept as a proving ground for new airborne technologies; and (g) conclusions. The analysis indicates that the operational feasibility of a national DMA network faces significant challenges, especially for interactions between DMAs and between DMA and non-DMA traffic. Provided these issues are resolved, sectors near DMAs could experience significant local capacity benefits

Functional Allocation with Airborne Self-Separation Evaluated in a Piloted Simulation

A human-in-the-loop simulation experiment was designed and conducted to evaluate an airborne self-separation concept. The activity supports the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) research focus on function allocation for separation assurance. The objectives of the experiment were twofold: (1) use experiment design features in common with a companion study of ground-based automated separation assurance to promote comparability, and (2) assess agility of self-separation operations in managing trajectory-changing events in high traffic density, en-route operations with arrival time constraints. This paper describes the experiment and presents initial results associated with subjective workload ratings and group discussion feedback obtained from the experiment s commercial transport pilot participants

Contributions to deconfliction advanced U-space services for multiple unmanned aerial systems including field tests validation

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) will become commonplace, the number of UAS flying in European airspace is expected to increase from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands by 2050. To prepare for this approaching, national and international organizations involved in aerial traffic management are now developing new laws and restructuring the airspace to incorporate UAS into civil airspace. The Single European Sky ATM Research considers the development of the U-space, a crucial step to enable the safe, secure, and efficient access of a large set of UAS into airspace. The design, integration, and validation of a set of modules that contribute to our UTM architecture for advanced U-space services are described in this Thesis. With an emphasis on conflict detection and resolution features, the architecture is flexible, modular, and scalable. The UTM is designed to work without the need for human involvement, to achieve U-space required scalability due to the large number of expected operations. However, it recommends actions to the UAS operator since, under current regulations, the operator is accountable for carrying out the recommendations of the UTM. Moreover, our development is based on the Robot Operating System (ROS) and is open source. The main developments of the proposed Thesis are monitoring and tactical deconfliction services, which are in charge of identifying and resolving possible conflicts that arise in the shared airspace of several UAS. By limiting the conflict search to a local search surrounding each waypoint, the proposed conflict detection method aims to improve conflict detection. By splitting the issue down into smaller subproblems with only two waypoints, the conflict resolution method tries to decrease the deviation distance from the initial flight plan. The proposed method for resolving potential threats is based on the premise that UAS can follow trajectories in time and space properly. Therefore, another contribution of the presented Thesis is an UAS 4D trajectory follower that can correct space and temporal deviations while following a given trajectory. Currently, commercial autopilots do not offer this functionality that allows to improve the airspace occupancy using time as an additional dimension. Moreover, the integration of onboard detect and avoid capabilities, as well as the consequences for U-space services are examined in this Thesis. A module capable of detecting large static unexpected obstacles and generating an alternative route to avoid the obstacle online is presented. Finally, the presented UTM architecture has been tested in both software-in-theloop and hardware-in-the-loop development enviroments, but also in real scenarios using unmanned aircraft. These scenarios were designed by selecting the most relevant UAS operation applications, such as the inspection of wind turbines, power lines and precision agriculture, as well as event and forest monitoring. ATLAS and El Arenosillo were the locations of the tests carried out thanks to the European projects SAFEDRONE and GAUSS.Los sistemas aéreos no tripulados (UAS en inglés) se convertirán en algo habitual. Se prevé que el número de UAS que vuelen en el espacio aéreo europeo pase de unos pocos miles a cientos de miles en 2050. Para prepararse para esta aproximación, las organizaciones nacionales e internacionales dedicadas a la gestión del tráfico aéreo están elaborando nuevas leyes y reestructurando el espacio aéreo para incorporar los UAS al espacio aéreo civil. SESAR (del inglés Single European Sky ATM Research) considera el desarrollo de U-space, un paso crucial para permitir el acceso seguro y eficiente de un gran conjunto de UAS al espacio aéreo. En esta Tesis se describe el diseño, la integración y la validación de un conjunto de módulos que contribuyen a nuestra arquitectura UTM (del inglés Unmanned aerial system Traffic Management) para los servicios avanzados del U-space. Con un énfasis en las características de detección y resolución de conflictos, la arquitectura es flexible, modular y escalable. La UTM está diseñada para funcionar sin necesidad de intervención humana, para lograr la escalabilidad requerida por U-space debido al gran número de operaciones previstas. Sin embargo, la UTM únicamente recomienda acciones al operador del UAS ya que, según la normativa vigente, el operador es responsable de las operaciones realizadas. Además, nuestro desarrollo está basado en el Sistema Operativo de Robots (ROS en inglés) y es de código abierto. Los principales desarrollos de la presente Tesis son los servicios de monitorización y evitación de conflictos, que se encargan de identificar y resolver los posibles conflictos que surjan en el espacio aéreo compartido de varios UAS. Limitando la búsqueda de conflictos a una búsqueda local alrededor de cada punto de ruta, el método de detección de conflictos pretende mejorar la detección de conflictos. Al dividir el problema en subproblemas más pequeños con sólo dos puntos de ruta, el método de resolución de conflictos intenta disminuir la distancia de desviación del plan de vuelo inicial. El método de resolución de conflictos propuesto se basa en la premisa de que los UAS pueden seguir las trayectorias en el tiempo y espacio de forma adecuada. Por tanto, otra de las aportaciones de la Tesis presentada es un seguidor de trayectorias 4D de UAS que puede corregir las desviaciones espaciales y temporales mientras sigue una trayectoria determinada. Actualmente, los autopilotos comerciales no ofrecen esta funcionalidad que permite mejorar la ocupación del espacio aéreo utilizando el tiempo como una dimensión adicional. Además, en esta Tesis se examina la capacidad de integración de módulos a bordo de detección y evitación de obstáculos, así como las consecuencias para los servicios de U-space. Se presenta un módulo capaz de detectar grandes obstáculos estáticos inesperados y capaz de generar una ruta alternativa para evitar dicho obstáculo. Por último, la arquitectura UTM presentada ha sido probada en entornos de desarrollo de simulación, pero también en escenarios reales con aeronaves no tripuladas. Estos escenarios se diseñaron seleccionando las aplicaciones de operación de UAS más relevantes, como la inspección de aerogeneradores, líneas eléctricas y agricultura de precisión, así como la monitorización de eventos y bosques. ATLAS y El Arenosillo fueron las sedes de las pruebas realizadas gracias a los proyectos europeos SAFEDRONE y GAUSS

A10 – Human Factors Considerations of UAS Procedures and Control Stations: Tasks PC-1 through PC-3 Pilot and Crew (PC) Subtask, Recommended Requirements and Operational Procedures

The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) conducted research focused on minimum pilot procedures and operational practices used by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operators today for the purpose of developing recommendations. This research recommends four pilot and 46 operational minimum procedures to operate a civil single-engine, fixed-wing, single-pilot-configured UAS flying in beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) conditions. These recommendations are anticipated to support potential future aircrew procedure requirements for UAS larger than 55 lbs. operating in the National Airspace System (NAS). These procedures were validated using representative Control Stations in simulated environments

The Effect of Pilot and Air Traffic Control Experiences & Automation Management Strategies on UAS Mission Task Performance

Unmanned aircraft are relied on now more than ever to save lives and support the troops in the recent Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The demands for UAS capabilities are rapidly increasing in the civilian sector. However, UAS operations will not be carried out in the NAS until safety concerns are alleviated. Among these concerns is determining the appropriate level of automation in conjunction with a suitable pilot who exhibits the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely operate these systems. This research examined two levels of automation: Management by Consent (MBC) and Management by Exception (MBE). User experiences were also analyzed in conjunction with both levels of automation while operating an unmanned aircraft simulator. The user experiences encompass three individual groups: Pilots, ATC, and Human Factors. Performance, workload, and situation awareness data were examined, but did not show any significant differences among the groups. Shortfalls and constraints are heavily examined to help pave the wave for future research

Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) technology to an advanced subsonic transport project. ACT/Control/Guidance System study, volume 1

The active control technology (ACT) control/guidance system task of the integrated application of active controls (IAAC) technology project within the NASA energy efficient transport program was documented. The air traffic environment of navigation and air traffic control systems and procedures were extrapolated. An approach to listing flight functions which will be performed by systems and crew of an ACT configured airplane of the 1990s, and a determination of function criticalities to safety of flight, are the basis of candidate integrated ACT/Control/Guidance System architecture. The system mechanizes five active control functions: pitch augmented stability, angle of attack limiting, lateral/directional augmented stability, gust load alleviation, and maneuver load control. The scope and requirements of a program for simulating the integrated ACT avionics and flight deck system, with pilot in the loop, are defined, system and crew interface elements are simulated, and mechanization is recommended. Relationships between system design and crew roles and procedures are evaluated