Hermes Universal Ground Control Station

The Silver Marlin Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), designed and built by Elbit Systems, makes use of the Hermes Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS) (Hermes Universal, 2015). The Hermes UGCS can be a fixed standard design or a more compact mobile design and features side by side pilot operation for redundancy (Hermes Universal, 2015).  However the system is designed to be able to be operated by a single operator.  The Hermes UGCS is made up commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and software tools which allow for full control of the Silver Marlin USV including full mission debriefing, in-flight mission editing, and payload control (Hermes Universal, 2015).  The UGCS is made up of a ground data terminal (GDT), a remote video terminal, and a flight line tester/loader for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) control (Hermes Universal, 2015). The system is capable of controlling two vehicles simultaneously with a single UGCS and two GDTs (Hermes 450, 2015).

The Hermes UGCS fixed station layout features multiple LCD displays, a control stick on the RH side of the operator for controlling the vehicle and video feed and a control stick on the LH side of the operator for interacting with the main display such as setting way points.  The displays are setup for each of the operator stations with two stacked on top of each other, a small tablet off to the side of each operator, and a single display between the two operators.  The two stacked displays act as the main displays the operator uses while flying the aircraft and controlling the payloads, the bottom one showing the video feed coming from the camera on-board the vehicle and the upper one usually showing a zoomed in map of the area the vehicle is in.  The center display between the operators is used to display a map with a broader view of the area being operated in for increased situational awareness.  The touchscreen tablet is used for keeping track of mission objectives, relaying intelligence to the operators, and monitoring the status of systems on-board the vehicle.  Figure 1 below shows the Hermes UGCS with operators in both stations.
 

 

Figure 1: Hermes Ground Control Station with Two Operators (Hermes 450, 2015).

One issue with the Hermes UGCS is that the current displays do not provide a very wide field of view for the operators.  This reduces situational awareness and can result in disorientation when the operator is under high workloads.  This is critical especially when trying to navigate a crowed port as in the case of a USV or on landing and takeoff for a UAV.  I would recommend having larger, wider displays and cameras on-board vehicles that provide at least 180 degrees field of view.  The operator should then also be able to choose between a variety of different field of views while flying depending on the environment and circumstances they are in. 

References:

Hermes 450 Multi-Role High Performance Tactical UAS, Israel. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/hermes-multirole-high-performance-tactical-uas/

Hermes Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS). (2015). Retrieved from https://www.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=3&num=36&num2=36