A communication interface for a dismounted ground commander and an intelligent autonomous unmanned aerial systems (IA-UAS) – a feasibility study

As unmanned systems become more intelligent, ground force may be able to interact directly with the UAS, without the need for a human UAS operator as a moderator. We looked at how interaction tools facilitate coordination between commanders and intelligent autonomous UASs. For this a mission execution interface (MEI) was developed. It was added to an existing chat and graphical bi-directional communication interface that was shown valuable for commander-UAS operator interaction. This setup was tested in the battle-lab facility using Wizard-of-Oz technique to generate the intelligent UAS capabilities. Focusing on the utility of the MEI relative to chat alone, or when both communication means are provided, results demonstrate how the MEI was used for mission execution for static or dynamic targets. Design improvements need to be applied to the MEI following the study outcomes and user feedback to make it more effective for conveying the commander’s intent throughout the mission.