Unmanned Aerial Systems: Research, Development, Education & Training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

With technological breakthroughs in miniaturized aircraft-related components, including but not limited to communications, computer systems and sensors, state-of-the-art unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have become a reality. This fast-growing industry is anticipating and responding to a myriad of societal applications that will provide new and more cost-effective solutions that previous technologies could not, or will replace activities that involved humans in flight with associated risks. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has a long history of aviation-related research and education, and is heavily engaged in UAS activities. This document provides a summary of these activities, and is divided into two parts. The first part provides a brief summary of each of the various activities, while the second part lists the faculty associated with those activities. Within the first part of this document we have separated UAS activities into two broad areas: Engineering and Applications. Each of these broad areas is then further broken down into six sub-areas, which are listed in the Table of Contents. The second part lists the faculty, sorted by campus (Daytona Beach-D, Prescott-P and Worldwide-W) associated with the UAS activities. The UAS activities and the corresponding faculty are cross-referenced. We have chosen to provide very short summaries of the UAS activities rather than lengthy descriptions. If more information is desired, please contact me directly, or visit our research website (https://erau.edu/research), or contact the appropriate faculty member using their e-mail address provided at the end of this document

EPSRC IMPACT Exhibition

This exhibition was conceived by Dunne (PI) and comprised 16 mixed-media speculative design research projects. It marked the culmination of an EPSRC-funded initiative also partly supported by NESTA. Dunne supervised and then curated the projects by staff, graduates and students of the RCA Design Interactions programme. Each was conducted in collaboration with an external research partner organisation already supported by the EPSRC. The topics covered ranged from renewable energy devices and security technologies to the emerging fields of synthetic biology and quantum computing. Dunne and an advisory panel from EPSRC and NESTA selected themes on the basis of diversity of topic, design opportunities, intellectual and creative challenges, and public relevance. Dunne invited the designers to take a radical, interrogative approach, exploring the social, ethical and political implications of the research. Each designer visited the relevant science lab, consulted with the scientists throughout the project, and participated in a one-day workshop hosted by NESTA between scientists and designers on such forms of collaboration. Designers carried out literature, journal, and project surveys before developing their projects through iterative prototypes. The exhibition, held at the RCA in 2010, was considered by EPSRC to offer a powerful insight into how today’s research might transform our experience of the world. It was reviewed in the Guardian (2010), Wired (2010) and Design Week (2010). Dunne presented ‘IMPACT!’ in conferences including the IDA Congress, ‘Design at the Edges’, Taipei (2011) and at the Wellcome Trust, London (2011). He gave a related lecture to researchers at Microsoft Research Asia, Beijing (2011). Individual exhibits from the project featured in exhibitions: Museum of Modern Art (2011), National Museum of China (2011); Z33 (2010–11); Wellcome Trust (2010–11); Saint-Étienne International Design Biennial (2010); Ars Electronica (2010); The Times Cheltenham Science Festival (2010); and V2_, Institute for the Unstable Media (2010)

Situational adapting system supporting team situation awareness

ABSTRACT Military fighter pilots have to make suitable decisions fast in an environment where continuously increasing flows of information from sensors, team members and databases are provided. Not only do the huge amounts of data aggravate the pilots' decision making process: time-pressure, presence of uncertain data and high workload are factors that can worsen the performance of pilot decision making. In this paper, initial ideas of how to support the pilots accomplishing their tasks are presented. Results from interviews with two fighter pilots are described as well as a discussion about how these results can guide the design of a military fighter pilot decision support system, with focus on team cooperation

Using a Semi-autonomous Drone Swarm to Support Wildfire Management – A Concept of Operations Development Study

This paper provides insights into a human factors-oriented Concept of Operations (ConOps), which can be applied for future semi-autonomous drone swarms to support the management of wildfires. The results provide, firstly, an overview of the current practices to manage wildfires in Finland. Secondly, some of the current challenges and future visions about drone usage in a wildfire situation are presented. Third, a description of the key elements of the developed future ConOps for operating a drone swarm to support the combat of wildfires is given. The ConOps has been formulated based on qualitative research, which included a literature review, seven subject matter expert interviews and a workshop with 40 professionals in the domain. Many elements of this ConOps may also be applied to a variety of other swarm robotics operations than only wildfire management. Finally, as the development of the ConOps is still in its first stage, several further avenues for research and development are proposed

MH-60 Seahawk / MQ-8 Fire Scout interoperability

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimitedAs part of a Naval Postgraduate School's capstone project in Systems Engineering, a project team from Cohort 311-0911 performed a Systems Engineering analysis. This Project focused on defining alternatives for enhanced Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW) mission effectiveness through increased interoperability and integration for the Fire Scout Unmanned Air Vehicle and Seahawk helicopter. Specifically, the Project explored the available trade space for enhancing communications back to the ship for analysis and decision-making. Modeling and Simulation (MandS) was used to assess the impact of enhanced communication on specific Key performance Parameters (KPPs) and Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) associated with the ASUW mission. Once the trade space was defined, alternatives were analyzed and a recommendation provided that supports near-, mid-, and long-term mission enhancement

Small Navies Do Have a Place in Network-Centric Warfare

In “Small Navies and Network-Centric Warfare” (Naval War College Review, Spring 2003, pp. 1–16), Paul T. Mitchell asked if there is a place for small navies in the world of network-centric warfare. From my perspective as the program executive officer for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Integrated Deepwater System (IDS), the answer is a resounding “Yes!” The price of admission, however, is a network- centric system for C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), modern air and surface plat- forms, and a well-established relationship with the U.S. Navy

The Maritime Domain Awareness Center– A Human-Centered Design Approach

This paper contends that Maritime Domain Awareness Center (MDAC) design should be a holistic approach integrating established knowledge about human factors, decision making, cognitive tasks, complexity science, and human information interaction. The design effort should not be primarily a technology effort that focuses on computer screens, information feeds, display technologies, or user interfaces. The existence of a room with access to vast amounts of information and wall-to-wall video screens of ships, aircraft, weather data, and other regional information does not necessarily correlate to possessing situation awareness. Fundamental principles of human-centered information design should guide MDAC design and technology selection, and it is imperative that they be addressed early in system development. The design approach should address the reason and purpose for a given MDAC. Subsequent design efforts should address ergonomic interaction with information – the relationship of the brain to the information ecosystem provided by the MDAC, and the cognitive science of situation awareness and decision making. This understanding will guide technology functionality. The system user and decision maker should be the focus of the information design specifications, and this user population must participate and influence the information design. Accordingly, this paper provides a “design gestalt” by which to approach the design and development of an MDAC

Team performance in air combat:A teamwork perspective.

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Objective: The objective of this paper is to describe a model combining taskwork and teamwork of a single-seat fighter aircraft team, or flight, during its performance episode. Background: In air combat, evaluations of team performance have focused on task performance. However, both teamwork and taskwork are required for high performance output. Attempts to address taskwork and teamwork in single-seat fighter aircraft flights have mainly settled for adopting existing models of teamwork to flights. As such, they have overlooked the unique nature of teamwork in air combat. Method: Existing models of teamwork and taskwork are reviewed and a flight’s tactical decision-making is described as an input-process-output model. A model combining flight’s teamwork, taskwork, situation awareness and transactive memory is conceptualized and operation of the model is illustrated with a case study. In the case study, the model is used to provide an alternative explanation for an air combat accident. Results: The model bridges the gap between the well-established concepts of teamwork and the unique nature of air combat. It rationalizes how the mission essential competencies, situation awareness and transactive memory interact with each other, and how they impact the flight’s performance output. Conclusions: The model helps scholars and practitioners in identifying the connection between the flight’s performance output and the underlying processes even when cause and effect are not adjacent in either time or space.Peer reviewe

THE APPLICATION AND EMPLOYMENT OF SPECIAL FORCES TO EFFECTIVELY OPERATE IN THE MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS ENVIRONMENT OF LARGE-SCALE COMBAT OPERATIONS

With the U.S. military’s shift in focus to large-scale combat operations (LSCO) in a multi-domain operations (MDO) environment, special forces (SF) must adapt and develop new strategies to operate and succeed in a new technologically enabled combat environment. MDO warfare has evolved and now includes the 4th dimension of information, electronic, and cyber warfare. The prevalence of information through open-source internet, radio, and television as well as a high reliance on electronic communications equipment has enhanced the offense opportunities for both the United States and its adversaries alike. Designed and assembled in an era prior to the MDO environment, the SF force structure currently lacks some of the capabilities to effectively operate and thrive on modern battlefields. Capabilities such as electronic warfare or employment and exploitation of cyber space hold significant influence on the battlespace, which SF units are ill prepared to employ or exploit. As a result, SF units should reconsider their capabilities when it comes to penetrating and disabling the anti-access area denial (A2/AD) bubbles established by our enemies. SF should also consider the tools required to destroy or disable A2/AD. Ultimately, SF must reanalyze how they are positioned and employed within LSCO. A look at modern-era case studies show that SF must adapt its capabilities and force structure if it is to remain relevant and effective in future conflicts.Major, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited