Advancement and application of unmanned aerial system Human-Machine- Interface (HMI) technology

Abstract

Interface designs native to handheld control and feedback devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) are becoming more accessible within the small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) community due to increased usage in remote control (R/C) model aircraft platforms [33], improved processing to cost [4], and increased interoperability supporting custom development and programming [2], [33]. These smaller, power efficient control systems have the potential to change the paradigm of sUAS control to be more aligned with semi-autonomous operations based on their innate ability to provide intuitive user interactions [44], low cost, reduction of latency effects on control, and improved real-time configuration and data measurement [33]. The objective of this study is to identify common themes in the advancement and application of human-machine-interface technologies in UAS control. This paper proposes to review available literature, associated technology designs, and identify how the UAS community can best leverage this technology and interaction concepts to support safe and efficient operations of UAS. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.