DRDC paper: Human factors with driving unmanned underwater vehicles

[The Bread Guy]

Geoffrey Ho, Nada J. Pavlovic, Robert Arrabito and Rifaat Abdalla  "Human Factors Issues When Operating Unmanned Underwater Vehicles," (71 pg PDF), DRDC Toronto TM 2011-100, March 2011
The abstract:

There has been a great deal of human factors research on unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in large part due to a high number of operator related mishaps. However, there is very little research examining the unique human factors problems associated with unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The lack of research is surprising as there are frequent anecdotal accounts of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) entanglement, collisions, and failures. In addition, militaries are now using UUVs for search and rescue and mine countermeasure (MCM) operations and in the future, UUVs will take on critical roles in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and even time critical strike operations. In this paper, it is argued that the underwater environment presents unique challenges to operating UUVs that are different from the challenges of UGV and UAV systems. Several common human factors problems are discussed when using UUVs, including the loss of sensory cues and spatial awareness, the control of the remote vehicle, problems with situation awareness (SA) and workload, problems with trust in automation, and challenges with human robot communication. In each case, these issues are discussed with respect to underwater operations.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I fly a Videoray ROV for work, this is not an "industrial size/equipped" ROv, but more designed for inspection and portability (not to mention cost)

It's way easier than diving, and you can set it down and think out a solution to the problem. You can get nervous untangling the cable and there is a lot of money riding on your decisions. Luckily you are not risking lives.

When teaching people to fly it, I tell them it's like flying an RC helicopter with a string attached to it. Some people can "see" the spatial environment and others can't, if you can't "see" the terrain in your head you will never be a successful ROV pilot. When in trouble, stop, think before doing anything.

 

[Jimmy_D]

The only down side I see for the military to use UUV's, is that most of the ones i know of in use are all wire controlled. There could be wireless ones that i am unaware of, but as in most used for diving research and underwater oil rig repairs that I have seen were all connected to a surface object.

 

[Journeyman]

The only down side I see ....

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th...."

You'll see  :nod: