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At least 1,441 records · Page 80
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

An artificial reality environment for remote factory control and monitoring

Work has begun on the merger of two well known systems, VEOS (HITLab) and CLIPS (NASA). In the recent past, the University of Massachusetts Lowell developed a parallel version of NASA CLIPS, called P-CLIPS. This modification allows users to create smaller expert systems which are able to communicate with each other to jointly solve problems. With the merger of a VEOS message system, PCLIPS-V can now act as a group of entities working within VEOS. To display the 3D virtual world we have been using a graphics package called HOOPS, from Ithaca Software. The artificial reality environment we have set up contains actors and objects as found in our Lincoln Logs Factory of the Future project. The environment allows us to view and control the objects within the virtual world. All communication between the separate CLIPS expert systems is done through VEOS. A graphical renderer generates camera views on X-Windows devices; Head Mounted Devices are not required. This allows more people to make use of this technology. We are experimenting with different types of virtual vehicles to give the user a sense that he or she is actually moving around inside the factory looking ahead through windows and virtual monitors.

Kosta, Charles Paul↗
NASA NTRS1994

An Interactive Educational Tool for Compressible Aerodynamics

A workstation-based interactive educational tool was developed to aid in the teaching of undergraduate compressible aerodynamics. The tool solves for the supersonic flow past a wedge using the equations found in NACA 1135. The student varies the geometry or flow conditions through a graphical user interface and the new conditions are calculated immediately. Various graphical formats present the variation of flow results to the student. One such format leads the student to the generation of some of the graphs found in NACA-1135. The tool includes interactive questions and answers to aid in both the use of the tool and to develop an understanding of some of the complexities of compressible aerodynamics. A series of help screens make the simulator easy to learn and use. This paper will detail the numerical methods used in the tool and describe how it can be used and modified.

Benson, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Knowledge-based commodity distribution planning

This paper presents an overview of a Decision Support System (DSS) that incorporates Knowledge-Based (KB) and commercial off the shelf (COTS) technology components. The Knowledge-Based Logistics Planning Shell (KBLPS) is a state-of-the-art DSS with an interactive map-oriented graphics user interface and powerful underlying planning algorithms. KBLPS was designed and implemented to support skilled Army logisticians to prepare and evaluate logistics plans rapidly, in order to support corps-level battle scenarios. KBLPS represents a substantial advance in graphical interactive planning tools, with the inclusion of intelligent planning algorithms that provide a powerful adjunct to the planning skills of commodity distribution planners.

Saks, Victor↗
NASA NTRS1994

COSMIC monthly progress report

Activities of the Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC) are summarized for the month of May 1994. Tables showing the current inventory of programs available from COSMIC are presented and program processing and evaluation activities are summarized. Nine articles were prepared for publication in the NASA Tech Brief Journal. These articles (included in this report) describe the following software items: (1) WFI - Windowing System for Test and Simulation; (2) HZETRN - A Free Space Radiation Transport and Shielding Program; (3) COMGEN-BEM - Composite Model Generation-Boundary Element Method; (4) IDDS - Interactive Data Display System; (5) CET93/PC - Chemical Equilibrium with Transport Properties, 1993; (6) SDVIC - Sub-pixel Digital Video Image Correlation; (7) TRASYS - Thermal Radiation Analyzer System (HP9000 Series 700/800 Version without NASADIG); (8) NASADIG - NASA Device Independent Graphics Library, Version 6.0 (VAX VMS Version); and (9) NASADIG - NASA Device Independent Graphics Library, Version 6.0 (UNIX Version). Activities in the areas of marketing, customer service, benefits identification, maintenance and support, and dissemination are also described along with a budget summary.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

Implementation of a low-cost, commercial orbit determination system

This paper describes the implementation and potential applications of a workstation-based orbit determination system developed by Storm Integration, Inc. called the Precision Orbit Determination System (PODS). PODS is offered as a layered product to the commercially-available Satellite Tool Kit (STK) produced by Analytical Graphics, Inc. PODS also incorporates the Workstation/Precision Orbit Determination (WS/POD) product offered by Van Martin System, Inc. The STK graphical user interface is used to access and invoke the PODS capabilities and to display the results. WS/POD is used to compute a best-fit solution to user-supplied tracking data. PODS provides the capability to simultaneously estimate the orbits of up to 99 satellites based on a wide variety of observation types including angles, range, range rate, and Global Positioning System (GPS) data. PODS can also estimate ground facility locations, Earth geopotential model coefficients, solar pressure and atmospheric drag parameters, and observation data biases. All determined data is automatically incorporated into the STK data base, which allows storage, manipulation and export of the data to other applications. PODS is offered in three levels: Standard, Basic GPS and Extended GPS. Standard allows processing of non-GPS observation types for any number of vehicles and facilities. Basic GPS adds processing of GPS pseudo-ranging data to the Standard capabilities. Extended GPS adds the ability to process GPS carrier phase data.

Corrigan, Jim↗
NASA NTRS1992

Experimental studies on the effect of automation on pilot situational awareness in the datalink ATC environment

An experiment to study how automation, when used in conjunction with datalink for the delivery of ATC clearance amendments, affects the situational awareness of aircrews was conducted. The study was focused on the relationship of situational awareness to automated Flight Management System (FMS) programming of datalinked clearances and the readback of ATC clearances. Situational awareness was tested by issuing nominally unacceptable ATC clearances and measuring whether the error was detected by the subject pilots. The experiment also varied the mode of clearance delivery: Verbal, Textual, and Graphical. The error detection performance and pilot preference results indicate that the automated programming of the FMS may be superior to manual programming. It is believed that automated FMS programming may relieve some of the cognitive load, allowing pilots to concentrate on the strategic implications of a clearance amendment. Also, readback appears to have value, but the small sample size precludes a definite conclusion. Furthermore, because textual and graphical modes of delivery offer different but complementary advantages for cognitive processing, a combination of these modes of delivery may be advantageous in a datalink presentation.

Hahn, Edward C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Evaluation of iconic versus F-map microburst displays

Previous studies have shown graphical presentation methods of hazardous wind shear to be superior to textual or audible warnings alone. Positional information and the strength of the hazard were observed to be and were cited by pilots as the most important factors in a display. In this experiment the use of the three different graphical presentations of hazardous wind shear are examined. Airborne predictive detectors of wind shear enable the dissemination of varying levels of information. The effectiveness of iconic and mapping display modes of different complexities are addressed through simulation and analysis. Different positional and time-varying situations are presented in a 'part-task' Boeing 767 simulator using data from actual microburst events. Experienced airline pilots fly approach profiles using both iconic and F-map wind shear alerting displays. Microburst accompanied each event is also shown to the pilot. Mapping display types are expected to be found exceptionally efficient at conveying location comparison information while iconic displays simplify the threat recognition process. Preliminary results from the simulator study are presented. Recommendations concerning the suitability of multilevel iconic and mapping displays are made. Situational problems with current display prototypes are also addressed.

Salzberger, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1989

Generic POCC architectures

This document describes a generic POCC (Payload Operations Control Center) architecture based upon current POCC software practice, and several refinements to the architecture based upon object-oriented design principles and expected developments in teleoperations. The current-technology generic architecture is an abstraction based upon close analysis of the ERBS, COBE, and GRO POCC's. A series of three refinements is presented: these may be viewed as an approach to a phased transition to the recommended architecture. The third refinement constitutes the recommended architecture, which, together with associated rationales, will form the basis of the rapid synthesis environment to be developed in the remainder of this task. The document is organized into two parts. The first part describes the current generic architecture using several graphical as well as tabular representations or 'views.' The second part presents an analysis of the generic architecture in terms of object-oriented principles. On the basis of this discussion, refinements to the generic architecture are presented, again using a combination of graphical and tabular representations.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

The MITy micro-rover: Sensing, control, and operation

The sensory, control, and operation systems of the 'MITy' Mars micro-rover are discussed. It is shown that the customized sun tracker and laser rangefinder provide internal, autonomous dead reckoning and hazard detection in unstructured environments. The micro-rover consists of three articulated platforms with sensing, processing and payload subsystems connected by a dual spring suspension system. A reactive obstacle avoidance routine makes intelligent use of robot-centered laser information to maneuver through cluttered environments. The hazard sensors include a rangefinder, inclinometers, proximity sensors and collision sensors. A 486/66 laptop computer runs the graphical user interface and programming environment. A graphical window displays robot telemetry in real time and a small TV/VCR is used for real time supervisory control. Guidance, navigation, and control routines work in conjunction with the mapping and obstacle avoidance functions to provide heading and speed commands that maneuver the robot around obstacles and towards the target.

Malafeew, Eric↗
NASA NTRS1994

ControlShell: A real-time software framework

The ControlShell system is a programming environment that enables the development and implementation of complex real-time software. It includes many building tools for complex systems, such as a graphical finite state machine (FSM) tool to provide strategic control. ControlShell has a component-based design, providing interface definitions and mechanisms for building real-time code modules along with providing basic data management. Some of the system-building tools incorporated in ControlShell are a graphical data flow editor, a component data requirement editor, and a state-machine editor. It also includes a distributed data flow package, an execution configuration manager, a matrix package, and an object database and dynamic binding facility. This paper presents an overview of ControlShell's architecture and examines the functions of several of its tools.

Schneider, Stanley A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Implementation of a three degree of freedom, motor/brake hybrid force output device for virtual environment control tasks

The advent of high resolution, physical model based computer graphics has left a gap in the design of input/output technology appropriate for interacting with such complex virtual world models. Since virtual worlds consist of physical models, it is appropriate to output the inherent force information necessary for the simulation to the user. The detailed design, construction, and control of a three degree freedom force output joystick will be presented. A novel kinematic design allows all three axes to be uncoupled, so that the system inertia matrix is diagonal. The two planar axes are actuated through an offset gimbal, and the third through a sleeved cable. To compensate for friction and inertia effects, this transmission is controlled by a force feedforward and a closed force feedback proportional loop. Workspace volume is a cone of 512 cubic inches, and the device bandwidth is maximized at 60 Hz for the two planar and 30 Hz for the third axis. Each axis is controlled by a motor/proportional magnetic particle brake combination fixed to the base. The innovative use of motors and brakes allows objects with high resistive torque requirements to be simulated without the stability and related safety issues involved with high torque, energy storing motors alone. Position, velocity, and applied endpoint force are sensed directly. Different control strategies are discussed and implemented, with an emphasis on how virtual environment force information, generated by the MIT Media Lab Computer Graphics and Animation Group BOLIO system, is transmitted to the device controller. The design constraints for a kinesthetic force feedback device can be summarized as: How can the symbiosis between the sense of presence in the virtual environment be maximized without compromising the interaction task under the constraints of the mechanical device limitations? Research in this field will yield insights to the optimal human sensory feedback mix for a wide spectrum of control and interaction problems. A flexible research tool that is designed as an easily reproducible product prototype has been constructed to explore the variety of possible force interaction.

Russo, Massimo↗
NASA NTRS1991

VERDEX: A virtual environment demonstrator for remote driving applications

One of the key areas of the National Advanced Robotics Centre's enabling technologies research program is that of the human system interface, phase 1 of which started in July 1989 and is currently addressing the potential of virtual environments to permit intuitive and natural interactions between a human operator and a remote robotic vehicle. The aim of the first 12 months of this program (to September, 1990) is to develop a virtual human-interface demonstrator for use later as a test bed for human factors experimentation. This presentation will describe the current state of development of the test bed, and will outline some human factors issues and problems for more general discussion. In brief, the virtual telepresence system for remote driving has been designed to take the following form. The human operator will be provided with a helmet-mounted stereo display assembly, facilities for speech recognition and synthesis (using the Marconi Macrospeak system), and a VPL DataGlove Model 2 unit. The vehicle to be used for the purposes of remote driving is a Cybermotion Navmaster K2A system, which will be equipped with a stereo camera and microphone pair, mounted on a motorized high-speed pan-and-tilt head incorporating a closed-loop laser ranging sensor for camera convergence control (currently under contractual development). It will be possible to relay information to and from the vehicle and sensory system via an umbilical or RF link. The aim is to develop an interactive audio-visual display system capable of presenting combined stereo TV pictures and virtual graphics windows, the latter featuring control representations appropriate for vehicle driving and interaction using a graphical 'hand,' slaved to the flex and tracking sensors of the DataGlove and an additional helmet-mounted Polhemus IsoTrack sensor. Developments planned for the virtual environment test bed include transfer of operator control between remote driving and remote manipulation, dexterous end effector integration, virtual force and tactile sensing (also the focus of a current ARRL contract, initially employing a 14-pneumatic bladder glove attachment), and sensor-driven world modeling for total virtual environment generation and operator-assistance in remote scene interrogation.

Stone, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Investigating and implementing enhancements to the simulation of short-term collision hazards

A software tool, the Relative Collision Matrix (RCM), has been developed to provide a quick-look representation of the shortterm collision hazard to space systems from a fragmentation event in Earth orbit. The software performs multiple fragmentation simulations of space objects to quantify the probability of collision for a satellite or a constellation of satellites nearby. Previously, the results were displayed in a color matrix format which showed the relative hazard of each constellation. The RCM can be used for scientific research and operational assessments even though it was designed for test and evaluation applications. Because of its successful use as an analytical tool, the capabilities of RCM are being extended by enhancing the orbital hazard analysis routines, developing ballistic trajectory hazard analysis routines, and expanding the breakup modeling. Improvements are also being made to the RCM's usability and presentation quality by developing a graphical user interface and by providing graphical animated and nonanimated output.

Huth, Jeffrey S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

From Antarctica to space: Use of telepresence and virtual reality in control of remote vehicles

In the Fall of 1993, NASA Ames deployed a modified Phantom S2 Remotely-Operated underwater Vehicle (ROV) into an ice-covered sea environment near McMurdo Science Station, Antarctica. This deployment was part of the antarctic Space Analog Program, a joint program between NASA and the National Science Foundation to demonstrate technologies relevant for space exploration in realistic field setting in the Antarctic. The goal of the mission was to operationally test the use of telepresence and virtual reality technology in the operator interface to a remote vehicle, while performing a benthic ecology study. The vehicle was operated both locally, from above a dive hole in the ice through which it was launched, and remotely over a satellite communications link from a control room at NASA's Ames Research Center. Local control of the vehicle was accomplished using the standard Phantom control box containing joysticks and switches, with the operator viewing stereo video camera images on a stereo display monitor. Remote control of the vehicle over the satellite link was accomplished using the Virtual Environment Vehicle Interface (VEVI) control software developed at NASA Ames. The remote operator interface included either a stereo display monitor similar to that used locally or a stereo head-mounted head-tracked display. The compressed video signal from the vehicle was transmitted to NASA Ames over a 768 Kbps satellite channel. Another channel was used to provide a bi-directional Internet link to the vehicle control computer through which the command and telemetry signals traveled, along with a bi-directional telephone service. In addition to the live stereo video from the satellite link, the operator could view a computer-generated graphic representation of the underwater terrain, modeled from the vehicle's sensors. The virtual environment contained an animate graphic model of the vehicle which reflected the state of the actual vehicle, along with ancillary information such as the vehicle track, science markers, and locations of video snapshots. The actual vehicle was driven either from within the virtual environment or through a telepresence interface. All vehicle functions could be controlled remotely over the satellite link.

Stoker, Carol↗
NASA NTRS1994

Electronic Engineering Notebook: A software environment for research execution, documentation and dissemination

The electronic engineering notebook (EEN) consists of a free form research notebook, implemented in a commercial package for distributed hypermedia, which includes utilities for graphics capture, formatting and display of LaTex constructs, and interfaces to the host operating system. The latter capability consists of an information computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tool and a means to associate executable scripts with source objects. The EEN runs on Sun and HP workstations. The EEN, in day-to-day use can be used in much the same manner as the sort of research notes most researchers keep during development of projects. Graphics can be pasted in, equations can be entered via LaTex, etc. In addition, the fact that the EEN is hypermedia permits easy management of 'context', e.g., derivations and data can contain easily formed links to other supporting derivations and data. The CASE tool also permits development and maintenance of source code directly in the notebook, with access to its derivations and data.

Moerder, Dan↗
NASA NTRS1994

A workstation based simulator for teaching compressible aerodynamics

A workstation-based interactive flow simulator has been developed to aid in the teaching of undergraduate compressible aerodynamics. By solving the equations found in NACA 1135, the simulator models three basic fluids problems encountered in supersonic flow: flow past a compression corner, flow past two wedges in series, and flow past two opposed wedges. The study can vary the geometry or flow conditions through a graphical user interface and the new conditions are calculated immediately. Various graphical formats present the results of the flow calculations to the student. The simulator includes interactive questions and answers to aid in both the use of the tool and to develop an understanding of some of the complexities of compressible aerodynamics. A series of help screens make the simulator easy to learn and use.

Benson, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Mission Operations Centers (MOCs): Integrating key spacecraft ground data system components

In an environment characterized by decreasing budgets, limited system development time, and user needs for increased capabilities, the Mission Operations Division (MOD) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center initiated a new, cost-effective concept in developing its spacecraft ground data systems: the Mission Operations Center (MOC). In the MOC approach, key components are integrated into a comprehensive and cohesive spacecraft planning, monitoring, command, and control system with a single, state-of-the-art graphical user interface. The MOD is currently implementing MOC's, which feature a common, reusable, and extendable system architecture, to support the X-Ray Timing Explorer (XTE), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), and Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) missions. As a result of the MOC approach, mission operations are integrated, and users can, with a single system, perform real-time health and safety monitoring, real-time command and control, real-time attitude processing, real-time and predictive graphical spacecraft monitoring, trend analysis, mission planning and scheduling, command generation and management, network scheduling, guide star selection, and (using an expert system) spacecraft monitoring and fault isolation. The MOD is also implementing its test and training simulators under the new MOC management structure. This paper describes the MOC concept, the management approaches used in developing MOC systems, the technologies employed and the development process improvement initiatives applied in implementing MOC systems, and the expected benefits to both the user and the mission project in using the MOC approach.

Harbaugh, Randy↗