Integrated Adaptive Aiding System for UAV Control and Related Applications

Over the last two years, the proposers have developed both an advanced physiologic state model of operator functional state (OFS) and a human capacity/human performance-based human-in-the-loop model (HITLM) for an Uninhabited Air Vehicle (UAV). The outputs of these two systems are currently combined to produce a numeric measure of current and future operator readiness, but are inherently adaptable to produce other cognitive and performance measures. Under this program we will add to this system a suite of adaptive aiding routines that modify the UCAV operator interface in order to provide the optimum level of information to the operator, and to guide the operator to adopt the optimum cognitive strategies. Candidate aiding approaches will be down-selected based on extensive experimental evidence and our related experience. The existing combined QUASAR physiologic and HITLM outputs and the aiding mitigations will be jointly optimized as a single integrated system. In addition to a state-of-the-art OFS evaluation and prediction capability, the QUASAR team offers a unique wearable sensor interface that has recently been extended to full wireless operation.