Engineering topics

Mixon, R. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Mixon, R. W..

4 records

NASA NTRS1988

Operational experience and design recommendations for teleoperated flight hardware

Teleoperation (remote manipulation) will someday supplement/minimize astronaut extravehicular activity in space to perform such tasks as satellite servicing and repair, and space station construction and servicing. This technology is being investigated by NASA with teleoperation of two space-related tasks having been demonstrated at the Oak Ridge National Lab. The teleoperator experiments are discussed and the results of these experiments are summarized. The related equipment design recommendations are also presented. In addition, a general discussion of equipment design for teleoperation is also presented.

Burgess, T. W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Baseline experiments in teleoperator control

Studies have been conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to establish baseline human teleoperator interface data and to assess the influence of some of the interface parameters on human performance in teleoperation. As baseline data, the results will be used to assess future interface improvements resulting from this research in basic teleoperator human factors. In addition, the data have been used to validate LaRC's basic teleoperator hardware setup and to compare initial teleoperator study results. Four subjects controlled a modified industrial manipulator to perform a simple task involving both high and low precision. Two different schemes for controlling the manipulator were studied along with both direct and indirect viewing of the task. Performance of the task was measured as the length of time required to complete the task along with the number of errors made in the process. Analyses of variance were computed to determine the significance of the influences of each of the independent variables. Comparisons were also made between the LaRC data and data taken earlier by Grumman Aerospace Corp. at their facilities.

Hankins, W. W., III↗

NASA NTRS1981

Effects of curved approach paths and advanced displays on pilot scan patterns

The effect on pilot scan behavior of both advanced cockpit and advanced manuevers was assessed. A series of straight-in and curved landing approaches were performed in the Terminal Configured Vehicle (TCV) simulator. Two comparisons of pilot scan behavior were made: (1) pilot scan behavior for straight-in approaches compared with scan behavior previously obtained in a conventionally equipped simulator, and (2) pilot scan behavior for straight-in approaches compared with scan behavior for curved approaches. The results indicate very similar scanning patterns during the straight-in approaches in the conventional and advanced cockpits. However, for the curved approaches pilot attention shifted to the electronic horizontal situation display (moving map), and a new eye scan path appeared between the map and the airspeed indicator. The very high dwell percentage and dwell times on the electronic displays in the TCV simulator during the final portions of the approaches suggest that the electronic attitude direction indicator was well designed for these landing approaches.

Harris, R. L., Sr.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Advanced transport operation effects on pilot scan patterns

Long straight-in and close-in, curved, descending instrument approaches were made in NASA's fixed-base Terminal Configured Vehicle simulator. The pilot either manually controlled the simulator or monitored the automatic system control of the simulated aircraft during the approach. Tests were performed with or without the display of traffic. The results indicate that the pilots' use of the Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI) increased appreciably for the close-in, curved, descending approach compared to the conventional straight-in approach. When operating as a monitor of the autopilot system, the pilot scanned around more with less attention devoted to the Electronic Attitude Direction Indicator (EADI). The pilots preferred the manual mode because it kept them in the control loop. The addition of displayed traffic to the EHSI increased the pilots' use of the EHSI with a corresponding reduction in his use of the EADI. Also, the pilot's pupil diameter increased during the landing flare indicating a higher stress level even though the tests were conducted in a fixed-base simulator.

Harris, R. L., Sr.↗