Integrated, Simulated, and Live UAV Research Platform
Introduction
Researchers at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), in collaboration with subject matter experts at Edwards Air Force Base, the NASA Dryden Flight Test Center, and the Flight Deck Display Research Group at NASA Ames, are currently engaged in DoD research funded by the AFOSR Trust and Influence Program. With this proposal, we sought support to acquire instrumentation to enhance current research capabilities and extend the impact of the existing research program, for the Air Force and its strategic research interests, and for the faculty and students at CSUN.
Our most recent project, “Influence of Cultural and Organizational Factors and Automation Capability on Human Reliance on Automation: A Case Study of Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology,” completed in May 2013. Its purpose was to develop best practices and real-world perspectives about how trust and reliance depend on cultural and organizational factors as well as factors affecting automation capability, and to develop a set of research hypotheses for further study.
With this proposal, we sought to acquire a $263,598 system of hardware equipment consisting of 15 PC Computer Workstations, an Eye Tracker, 8 Reconfigurable Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a Mobile Ground Control Station, and a Reconfigurable Ground Control Station. These instrumentations were utilized and integrated with existing software in the Systems Engineering Research Laboratory (SERL) under the directorship of Dr. Ho, and collectively formed an integrated simulated and live UAS (unmanned aircraft system) research platform (ISLURP) that has the capability to conduct and\/or simulate UAS operations in three modes: live UAS only, live and simulated UAS, and simulated UAS only.
ISLURP builds upon two key advanced and proven technologies: 1) the software simulation tools developed by the Department of Army and NASA Ames; and 2) NASA Dryden's reconfigurable Flight Management System and reconfigurable UAS building blueprint. With this foundation, ISLURP is a unique simulation instrumentation that integrates multiple live\/actual UAS; ground control stations for live\/actual UAS; simulated UAS and simulated aircraft; air traffic controller stations and pilot stations for simulated aircraft; advanced air traffic control simulation software; and computer hardware into a research platform that can be used to simultaneously conduct actual or simulated operations with live UAS in combination with distributed, human-in-the-loop simulations over the internet with simulated UAS and aircraft, and with operators located at same or remote sites. The ISLURP is located in the SERL within the Mechanical Engineering department at CSUN. Maintenance is performed by SERL staff and IT staff of the CSUN College of Engineering and Computer Science. In addition, it is the responsibility of the PI and senior research staff to disseminate\/train incoming students into the lab on proper maintenance of ISLURP equipment.
The awarded instrumentation also enabled a gamut of research-related education activities, including the integration of research into undergraduate\/graduate student theses and classroom case studies and projects, the summer internship and career shadow programs for high school students in Dr. Ho’s research lab, and other outreach and service learning activities that aim to broaden women’s and underrepresented minorities’ participation in engineering research and careers related to DoD mission.
Purpose
This book shall serve as a comprehensive guide for understanding, setting up, and using the ISLURP software.