Tactical Control Units
with Scalable Warfighter-Machine Interfaces
Within the next decade, Soldiers will be able
to send teams of unmanned assets on simultaneous
missions using a device that gives them command
and control of the autonomous systems in their
units.
Together with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory,
TARDEC, and Micro Analysis & Design, GDRS
is developing a family of these devices -- Tactical
Control Units (TCUs) with scalable Warfighter-Machine
Interfaces (WMI) designed to give the Soldier
command and control capabilities, reduce his
workload, and improve mission effectiveness.
 TCUs provide an interface for control of multiple
unmanned systems such as Unmanned Air Vehicles
(UAVs), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), and
Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS), as well as for
reporting and situation awareness through an
integrated mapping and asset control system.
GDRS’ WMI systems stress collaboration
and interoperability with all other TCU systems,
including the TARDEC Vetronics Technology Integration
Crew station, a Soldier-wearable PDA–type
display, and the Robotics Collaborative Technology
Alliance (RCTA) single screen Operator Control
Unit (OCU).
 Benefits
- Human Control of Semi-Autonomous Unmanned
Air & Ground Vehicles
- Situational Awareness of Unmanned Vehicle
(UV) location & status
- C2 Planning for manned/unmanned missions
- Multi-modal control interfaces
- One Soldier and many UVs
- Scalable displays supporting Manned Ground
Vehicles and dismounted Soldiers
GDRS’ goal is to ensure that our TCUs and
WMIs fit with autonomous system capabilities, match
the Soldier’s expectations and requirements,
and meet the military’s requirements for
user acceptance. |
