DOT/FAA/AM-08/23 Office of Aerospace Medicine Washington, DC 20591 Documentation of Sensory Information in the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Kevin W. Williams Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Oklahoma City, OK 73125 October 2008 Final Report OK-09-0434 NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents thereof. ___________ This publication and all Office of Aerospace Medicine technical reports are available in full-text from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s publications Web site: www.faa.gov/library/reports/medical/oamtechreports/index.cfm Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. DOT/FAA/AM-08/23 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Documentation of Sensory Information in the Operation of Unmanned October 2008 Aircraft Systems 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Williams K 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute P.O. Box 25082 11. Contract or Grant No. Oklahoma City, OK 73125 12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Aerospace Medicine Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplemental Notes Work was accomplished under approved task AHRR52. 16. Abstract For manned aircraft, the presence of multi-sensory inputs is a given. Pilots of manned aircraft might not even be aware of the availability of several different types of sensory inputs occurring at the same time. However, it is likely that each type of input has a reinforcing effect on the others that allows for a rapid diagnosis and response of both normal and unusual events in the cockpit. The situation for the pilot of an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is much different. UAS pilots receive information regarding the state and health of their aircraft solely through electronic displays. This report includes a comparison of manned sensory information to sensory information available to the unmanned aircraft pilot, a review of remediations for sensory deficiencies from the current UAS inventory, a review of human factors research related to enhancing sensory information available to the UAS pilot, and a review of current FAA regulations related to sensory information requirements. Analyses demonstrated that UAS pilots receive less and fewer types of sensory information, compared with manned aircraft pilots. One consequence is the enhanced difficulty for UAS pilots to recognize and diagnose anomalous flight events that could endanger the safety of the flight. Recommendations include the incorporation of multi- sensory alert and warning systems into UAS control stations. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Control Station Design, Document is available to the public through the Defense Technical Information Center, Ft. Belvior, VA Sensory Information, Alerts and Warnings, UAV 22060; and the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 57 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. 1 . Background.on.Human.Sensory.Capabltes. 1 . Vsual.Informaton. 1 . Foveal.Vson. 2 . Vsual.Accommodaton . 2 . Color.Vson. 3 . Perpheral.Vson. 3 . Audtory.Informaton. 3 . Spatal.Orentaton/Vestbular.Informaton . 4 . Proproceptve.and.Knesthetc.Informaton. 4 . Haptc.Informaton. 4 . Sense.of.Smell . 4 . Negatve.Aspects.of.Sensory.Informaton.n.Manned.Arcraft. 4 . Vsual.Accommodaton . 4 . Vsual.Illusons. 5 . Audtory.Informaton. 5 . Spatal.Orentaton/Vestbular.Informaton . 5 . Advantages.and.Dsadvantages.of.Sensory.Modes. 6 . Plot.Sensory.Informaton.for.Anomalous.Events. 6 . Loss.of.Engne. 6 . Icng. 8 . Stall. 8 . Turbulence. 8 . Unusual.Atttude. 8 . Loss.of.Onboard.Electrcal.System. 8 . UAS.Sensory.Informaton.for.Anomalous.Events. 8 . Loss.of.Data.Lnk. 9 . Loss.of.Engne. 9 . Icng. 10 . Stall. 10 . Turbulence. 10 . Unusual.Atttudes . 10 . Comparng.Sensory.Informaton.for.Anomalous.and.Normal.Events. 10 . How.Sensory.Deficences.Affect.Accdents.of.Unmanned.Arcraft. 13 . Examples.of.Remedatons.From.the.Current.UAS.Inventory. 15 . Research.Efforts.to.Improve.Sensory.Informaton.n.Unmanned.Arcraft. 16 . Federal.Regulatons.Pertanng.to.Sensory.Informaton.n.the.Cockpt. 17 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................ 20 REFERENCES .................................................................... 21 APPENDIX.A:.UAS.Sensory.Informaton.Intervews. A-1 APPENDIX.B:.Federal.Regulatons.Pertanng.to.Plot.Sensory.Informaton. B-1 DOCUMENTATION OF SENSORY INFORMATION IN THE OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS INTRODUCTION For.manned.arcraft,.the.presence.of.mult-sensory. nputs is.a.gven ..Plots.of.manned.arcraft.mght.not.even. Under.the.strategy.to.establsh.standard.procedures.and. be.aware.of.the.avalablty.of.several.dfferent.types.of. gudelnes.for.general.avaton.operators is.an intatve. sensory inputs.occurrng.at.the.same.tme ..However, it is. to.develop.polces,.procedures,.and.approval.processes. lkely.that.each.type.of input.has.a.renforcng.effect.on. to.enable.the.operaton.of.unmanned.arcraft.systems. the.others.that.allows.for.a.rapd.dagnoss.and.response. (UASs) in.the.Natonal.Arspace.System.(NAS) ..UASs.are. of.both.normal.and.unusual.events.n.the.cockpt .. a.growng.presence in.the.NAS,.servng.such.functons.as. The.stuaton.for.the.plot.of.a.UAS is.much.dffer- survellance,.montorng,.and.research ..At.present,.UAS. ent ..UAS.plots.receve informaton.regardng.the.state. operatons in.the.NAS.requre.specal.approval.from.the. and. health. of. ther. arcraft. solely. through. electronc. Federal. Avaton. Admnstraton. (FAA) ..They. are. not. dsplays .1.The.purpose.of.ths.paper is.to.document.the. able.to.“file.and.fly”.lke.manned.arcraft.because.unque. types.of.sensory informaton.that.are.not.avalable.to. characterstcs.of.UASs.potentally.present.safety.hazards. the.UAS.plot,.compared.to.the.onboard.plot,.and.to. that.have.not.yet.been.fully.dentfied .. dscuss.how.dfferences.mght.affect.the.operaton.and. One.obvous.dfference.between.UASs.and.manned. safety.of.flght.of.UASs ..In.addton,.the.paper.wll.look. arcraft is.that.the.plot.control interface.( .e .,.the.cock- for.evdence.of.the.degree.to.whch.the.lack.of.multple. pt).has.been.separated.from.the.arcraft ..Ths.separaton. sensory.modes.has.led.to.UAS.accdents.and.how.the. has immedate.consequences.for.the.plot in.terms.of. desgn.of.varous.systems.attempts.to.overcome.mode. the.types.and.qualty.of.sensory informaton.avalable .. deficences ..We.wll.look.at.research.that.has.proposed. Sensory informaton, in.ths.paper, is.defined.as informa- varous.ways.to.augment.sensory informaton.for.UAS. ton.about.the.state.and.health.of.the.arcraft.that.can. plots.and.current.federal.regulatons.that.address.sensory. be.ganed.through.the.varous.human.sensory.modes ..A. nformaton in.manned.arcraft ..The.final.secton.of.the. human.sensory.mode is.one.of.several.physcal.processes. paper.wll include.recommendatons.for.system.desgn. that.allows.a.human.to.receve inputs.from.the.envron- for.UAS.control.statons.and.tranng.that.wll.help.to. ment ..For.example,.the.UAS.plot.typcally.cannot.hear. address.problems.related.to.the.lack.of.multple.modes. the.engne.of.the.arcraft,.feel.the.effect.of.aerodynamc. of.sensory.nformaton . forces.on.the.controls.or.ar.turbulence.on.the.arframe,. or.see.from.the.pont.of.vew.of.the.arcraft.wthout.the. Background on Human Sensory Capabilities presence.of.compensatory.artfical.sensors.and.dsplays .. Before.we.can.fully.apprecate.the.types.of.sensory. Compared.to.a.plot.onboard.the.arcraft,.the.unmanned. nformaton. that. are. avalable. to. the. UAS. plot,. we. arcraft.plot.receves.much.less.drectly.sensed informa- must.develop.an.understandng.of.basc.human.sensory. ton.durng.a.flght .. capabltes ..In.ths.secton,.we.wll.revew.the.types.of. Recent. research. has. suggested. the. mportance. of. sensory informaton.that.are.avalable.to.the.plot.dur- havng. multple. types. of. sensory. nformaton. n. the. ng.flght in.manned.arcraft ..For.each.type.of.sensory. cockpt ..There is.a.phenomenon.called.multi-modal re- nformaton, it.wll.be.noted.how.the informaton is.used. inforcement, n.whch.the.smultaneous.presentaton.of. to.mantan.safe.flght . a.vsual.and.audtory input.renforces.the.percepton.of. both ..For.example,.people.have.more.trouble.percevng. Visual Information a.flckerng.pont.of.lght.as.the intensty.of.the.lght. By.far,.the.most important.and.most.used.sense.for.the. s.decreased ..However, if.the.lght is.accompaned.by.a. plot is.vson ..Even.when.flyng in instrument.meteoro- sound,.the.ablty.to.perceve.the.lght improves.(Kayser,. logcal.condtons,.the.plot.reles.on.vsual informaton. 2007) ..In.addton,.bran imagng.studes.have.shown. from.the.dsplays.to.determne.the.poston.and.atttude. that.certan.regons.of.the.bran.are.used.specfically.for. of. the. arcraft .. When. flyng. n. vsual. meteorologcal. the integraton.of.multple.sensory inputs.and.that.many. condtons,.not.only.does.the.plot.rely.on informaton. actvtes,.such.as.the.localzaton.of.a.sound in.space,. from.the.dsplays,.but.there is.also.a.wealth.of.vsual. rely. on. mult-sensory. nputs. (Kayser,. Petkov,. Augath,. 1Note.that.ths.analyss.excludes.UASs.that.are.controlled.through. &.Logothets;.2005) . vsual.lne.of.sght . 1 nformaton. avalable. by. lookng. outsde. the. arcraft .. 10. degrees. from. the. center ..Vsual. acuty. can. also. be. Vsual informaton.can.be.separated into.four.categores:. affected.by.physologcal.factors ..Alcohol.and.tobacco. foveal.vson,.vsual.accommodaton,.color.vson,.and. use,.low.blood.sugar,.and.sleep.deprvaton.can impar. perpheral.vson ..Each.of.these.categores is.dstngushed. vson ..In.addton, inflght.exposure.to.low.barometrc. by.the.type.of.nformaton.t.provdes . pressure.wthout.the.use.of.supplemental.oxygen.(above. 10,000.ft.durng.the.day.and.above.5,000.ft.at.nght).