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DOE OSTI2026

Platform for Automated Anomaly Detection in the Mercury Process System at the Target System in the Spallation Neutron Source

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory accelerates proton beams, which are directed toward a mercury target to generate the world’s most intense neutron beams via spallation. The target system consists of several interconnected subsystems and accounts for a major share of the facility’s overall downtime. Early detection of anomalies in the target system response can thus provide the possibility of taking corrective actions to reduce downtime. Accelerator facilities have largely focused on the beam side for data-driven fault prognostics. On the target side, SNS relies on operational shift technicians (OSTs), who respond to alarms and manually flag anomalies onto the System Tracking and Reliability (STAR) platform. This paper presents one of the first studies of using machine learning (ML) to automate anomaly detection in the target system. The study focused on the mercury process system as the first use case and employed reconstruction-based anomaly detection on minutely sampled time series signals. The pipeline was integrated into the STAR platform to autonomously rank and flag anomalies every week. The STAR platform provides a user interface for the OSTs to evaluate the flagged anomalies, thereby incorporating human feedback.

Anomaly detection↗

NASA NTRS1994

Object-based task-level control: A hierarchical control architecture for remote operation of space robots

Expanding man's presence in space requires capable, dexterous robots capable of being controlled from the Earth. Traditional 'hand-in-glove' control paradigms require the human operator to directly control virtually every aspect of the robot's operation. While the human provides excellent judgment and perception, human interaction is limited by low bandwidth, delayed communications. These delays make 'hand-in-glove' operation from Earth impractical. In order to alleviate many of the problems inherent to remote operation, Stanford University's Aerospace Robotics Laboratory (ARL) has developed the Object-Based Task-Level Control architecture. Object-Based Task-Level Control (OBTLC) removes the burden of teleoperation from the human operator and enables execution of tasks not possible with current techniques. OBTLC is a hierarchical approach to control where the human operator is able to specify high-level, object-related tasks through an intuitive graphical user interface. Infrequent task-level command replace constant joystick operations, eliminating communications bandwidth and time delay problems. The details of robot control and task execution are handled entirely by the robot and computer control system. The ARL has implemented the OBTLC architecture on a set of Free-Flying Space Robots. The capability of the OBTLC architecture has been demonstrated by controlling the ARL Free-Flying Space Robots from NASA Ames Research Center.

Stevens, H. D.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Virtual Reality System Offers a Wide Perspective

Robot Systems Technology Branch engineers at Johnson Space Center created the remotely controlled Robonaut for use as an additional "set of hands" in extravehicular activities (EVAs) and to allow exploration of environments that would be too dangerous or difficult for humans. One of the problems Robonaut developers encountered was that the robot s interface offered an extremely limited field of vision. Johnson robotics engineer, Darby Magruder, explained that the 40-degree field-of-view (FOV) in initial robotic prototypes provided very narrow tunnel vision, which posed difficulties for Robonaut operators trying to see the robot s surroundings. Because of the narrow FOV, NASA decided to reach out to the private sector for assistance. In addition to a wider FOV, NASA also desired higher resolution in a head-mounted display (HMD) with the added ability to capture and display video.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2016

The Virtual Tablet: Virtual Reality as a Control System

In the field of human-computer interaction, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been rapidly growing areas of interest and concerted development effort thanks to both private and public research. At NASA, a number of groups have explored the possibilities afforded by AR and VR technology, among which is the IT Advanced Concepts Lab (ITACL). Within ITACL, the AVR (Augmented/Virtual Reality) Lab focuses on VR technology specifically for its use in command and control. Previous work in the AVR lab includes the Natural User Interface (NUI) project and the Virtual Control Panel (VCP) project, which created virtual three-dimensional interfaces that users could interact with while wearing a VR headset thanks to body- and hand-tracking technology. The Virtual Tablet (VT) project attempts to improve on these previous efforts by incorporating a physical surrogate which is mirrored in the virtual environment, mitigating issues with difficulty of visually determining the interface location and lack of tactile feedback discovered in the development of previous efforts. The physical surrogate takes the form of a handheld sheet of acrylic glass with several infrared-range reflective markers and a sensor package attached. Using the sensor package to track orientation and a motion-capture system to track the marker positions, a model of the surrogate is placed in the virtual environment at a position which corresponds with the real-world location relative to the user's VR Head Mounted Display (HMD). A set of control mechanisms is then projected onto the surface of the surrogate such that to the user, immersed in VR, the control interface appears to be attached to the object they are holding. The VT project was taken from an early stage where the sensor package, motion-capture system, and physical surrogate had been constructed or tested individually but not yet combined or incorporated into the virtual environment. My contribution was to combine the pieces of hardware, write software to incorporate each piece of position or orientation data into a coherent description of the object's location in space, place the virtual analogue accordingly, and project the control interface onto it, resulting in a functioning object which has both a physical and a virtual presence. Additionally, the virtual environment was enhanced with two live video feeds from cameras mounted on the robotic device being used as an example target of the virtual interface. The working VT allows users to naturally interact with a control interface with little to no training and without the issues found in previous efforts.

virtual control interface↗

NASA NTRS1991

An autonomous fault detection, isolation, and recovery system for a 20-kHz electric power distribution test bed

Future space explorations will require long term human presence in space. Space environments that provide working and living quarters for manned missions are becoming increasingly larger and more sophisticated. Monitor and control of the space environment subsystems by expert system software, which emulate human reasoning processes, could maintain the health of the subsystems and help reduce the human workload. The autonomous power expert (APEX) system was developed to emulate a human expert's reasoning processes used to diagnose fault conditions in the domain of space power distribution. APEX is a fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) system, capable of autonomous monitoring and control of the power distribution system. APEX consists of a knowledge base, a data base, an inference engine, and various support and interface software. APEX provides the user with an easy-to-use interactive interface. When a fault is detected, APEX will inform the user of the detection. The user can direct APEX to isolate the probable cause of the fault. Once a fault has been isolated, the user can ask APEX to justify its fault isolation and to recommend actions to correct the fault. APEX implementation and capabilities are discussed.

Quinn, Todd M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

We can't explore space without it - Common human space needs for exploration spaceflight

An overview is conducted of physiological, psychological, and human-interface requirements for manned spaceflight programs to establish common criteria. Attention is given to the comfort levels relevant to human support in exploration mission spacecraft and planetary habitats, and three comfort levels (CLs) are established. The levels include: (1) CL-1 for basic crew life support; (2) CL-2 for enabling the nominal completion of mission science; and (3) CL-3 which provides for enhanced life support and user-friendly interface systems. CL-2 support systems can include systems for EVA, workstations, and activity centers for repairs and enhanced utilization of payload and human/machine integration. CL-3 supports can be useful for maintaining crew psychological and physiological health as well as the design of comfortable and earthlike surroundings. While all missions require CL-1 commonality, CL-2 commonality is required only for EVA systems, display nomenclature, and restraint designs.

Daues, K. R.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Development of Methodology for Programming Autonomous Agents

A brief report discusses the rationale for, and the development of, a methodology for generating computer code for autonomous-agent-based systems. The methodology is characterized as enabling an increase in the reusability of the generated code among and within such systems, thereby making it possible to reduce the time and cost of development of the systems. The methodology is also characterized as enabling reduction of the incidence of those software errors that are attributable to the human failure to anticipate distributed behaviors caused by the software. A major conceptual problem said to be addressed in the development of the methodology was that of how to efficiently describe the interfaces between several layers of agent composition by use of a language that is both familiar to engineers and descriptive enough to describe such interfaces unambivalently

Erol, Kutluhan↗

NASA NTRS1981

To Produce Nutrients for Plant Growth

On July 1, 1979 a new research program entitled "Development of a Prototype Experiment for Treating CELSS and PCELSS Wastes to Produce Nutrients for Plant Growth" was undertaken by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Georgia Institute of Technology under grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center. The program was designed to be completed over a five-year period, with the work divided into two phases. Phase I covers approximately two years and involves the development of necessary facilities, chemical methodologies and models to allow meaningful experiments during Phase II, which will involve interfacing waste oxidation with plant growth. Homogeneous samples of freeze-dried human feces and urine have been prepared to assure comparability of results among various CELSS waste treatment research groups. A model of food processing wastes within a PCELSS was developed, and an initial batch of waste was prepared. An automated gas chromatographic system to analyze oxidizer effluents was designed and is operational. A state-of-the-art quantitative elemental analysis capability, built around inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy using electrothermal atomization, has been demonstrated. A continuous flow wet oxidation system was constructed and is now operational.

Michael Modell↗

NASA NTRS1985

Space platforms and autonomy

Potential applications for autonomous space platforms (SP) are discussed. The platforms are assumed to have long in-service lifetimes and therefore be flexible as to configuration modification and payload changeout. Higher degrees of autonomy, particularly from ground control, are made possible because of the rapid increase of microprocessor power and artificial intelligence advances. Functioning independently, the platforms are to rely only on periodic refurbishment visits by, e.g., the Orbiter. The Manned Space Station (MSS) will be the most complex structure, involving multifacted man-machine interfaces. The SP can be subsystems of the MSS (or other platforms), handling communications enunciation, data acquisition, analysis and telemetry, fault detection and isolation, systems monitoring and control, etc. The SP adopted will depend in all cases on costs vs benefits analyses to determine the worth of removing the function(s) from direct, regular human intervention.

Easter, R. W.↗

NASA NTRS2022

Space Induced Discharge Model to Be Used on Interface Circuit Vulnerability Assessment

Charging can occur in space due to plasma and high energy particles. Charging is especially severe in certain earth orbits such as geostationary orbit, medium earth orbit and highly inclined orbit. A spacecraft that travels to other planets such as Jupiter also encounters high level of charging due to Jupiter’s radiation belt. The major concern for spacecraft operation due to charging is the survival of sensitive electrical circuits. Dielectrics and floating metal can charge up and discharge onto interface circuits. The electrical circuits need to be evaluated for survival from the electrostatic-discharge (ESD) threat. Both ESD induced upset and damage need to be assessed. The interface circuits are often located inside a shielded unit in the spacecraft structure or a shielded vault with sufficient radiation shielding to avoid surface and internal charging. The materials external to the highly shielded area can charge up and discharge onto wires that can directly dissipate the ESD onto the interface circuits. Figure 1 shows a possible discharge mechanism onto the interfacing circuits. If the wire has an external shield or a coaxial line, some or most of the discharge can flow on the shield to chassis ground. There is always coupling from external discharge. If the wire has no shield, the discharge flows onto the interface circuit. Fig. 1 Possible discharge paths onto the interface circuits. The purpose of this article is to address how to model the ESD threat to be used as the discharge source onto the interface circuit based on the electron beam test data. Different models are needed for different impedances associated with the interface circuits. Once those models are derived, one needs to analyze the interface circuit with the corresponding model using an electrical simulation tool. Then, the circuit’s front-end components can be assessed for damage and upset. Upset is highly dependent on the circuit operation and system requirements, and thus it is not addressed any further. Damage of electrical parts is often rated under Human-Body-Model (HBM) ESD. One can utilize this industry-wide available information to assess the damage vulnerability due to space discharges. However, the HBM waveform does not always match the discharge waveform. To estimate the damage vulnerability of the circuit and set margin, one needs to compare the equivalent energy delivered to the victim between a HBM discharge and the results from an ESD source model based on actual discharges. This paper presents such a comparison for a few select cases.

Xie, Julie↗

DOE OSTI2017

Optimization of human factors methods within the design cycle - 178

Amec Foster Wheeler developed and implemented the Human Factors Engineering program to analyze the design of a large-scale electrical component readying for installation in a nuclear facility. The HFE program applied the program elements from NUREG-0711 throughout the detailed design phase of the project. This paper provides: (1) a review of the Human Factors Engineering (HFE) program methodology that was implemented, and (2) a summary of the integrated approach to the design, verification, and validation of the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) display and mimic panel. In general, it was found that a collaborative approach between the design team, equipment vendor, HFE, and the end-users of the component created a more streamlined approach to the design and allowed for user feedback to be implemented throughout the progression of the design. However, the trade-off to this approach is that an integrated validation is likely required once all design aspects are complete, to ensure the modification is acceptable in the context of the overall system. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS2008

The Telesupervised Adaptive Ocean Sensor Fleet (TAOSF) Architecture: Coordination of Multiple Oceanic Robot Boats

Earth science research must bridge the gap between the atmosphere and the ocean to foster understanding of Earth s climate and ecology. Ocean sensing is typically done with satellites, buoys, and crewed research ships. The limitations of these systems include the fact that satellites are often blocked by cloud cover, and buoys and ships have spatial coverage limitations. This paper describes a multi-robot science exploration software architecture and system called the Telesupervised Adaptive Ocean Sensor Fleet (TAOSF). TAOSF supervises and coordinates a group of robotic boats, the OASIS platforms, to enable in-situ study of phenomena in the ocean/atmosphere interface, as well as on the ocean surface and sub-surface. The OASIS platforms are extended deployment autonomous ocean surface vehicles, whose development is funded separately by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). TAOSF allows a human operator to effectively supervise and coordinate multiple robotic assets using a sliding autonomy control architecture, where the operating mode of the vessels ranges from autonomous control to teleoperated human control. TAOSF increases data-gathering effectiveness and science return while reducing demands on scientists for robotic asset tasking, control, and monitoring. The first field application chosen for TAOSF is the characterization of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). We discuss the overall TAOSF architecture, describe field tests conducted under controlled conditions using rhodamine dye as a HAB simulant, present initial results from these tests, and outline the next steps in the development of TAOSF.

sensor web↗

DOE OSTI2023

The INTERSECT Open Federated Architecture for the Laboratory of the Future

A federated instrument-to-edge-to-center architecture is needed to autonomously collect, transfer, store, process, curate, and archive scientific data and reduce human-in-the-loop needs with (a) common interfaces to leverage community and custom software, (b) pluggability to permit adaptable solutions, reuse, and digital twins, and (c) an open standard to enable adoption by science facilities world-wide. The Selfdriven Experiments for Science/Interconnected Science Ecosystem (INTERSECT) Open Architecture enables science breakthroughs using intelligent networked systems, instruments and facilities with autonomous experiments, “self-driving” laboratories, smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) driven design, discovery and evaluation. It creates an open federated architecture for the laboratory of the future using a novel approach, consisting of (1) science use case design patterns, (2) a system of systems architecture, and (3) a microservice architecture.

Engelmann, Christian↗

NASA NTRS1989

A design framework for teleoperators with kinesthetic feedback

The application of a hybrid two-port model to teleoperators with force and velocity sensing at the master and slave is presented. The interfaces between human operator and master, and between environment and slave, are ports through which the teleoperator is designed to exchange energy between the operator and the environment. By computing or measuring the input-output properties of this two-port network, the hybrid two-port model of an actual or simulated teleoperator system can be obtained. It is shown that the hybrid model (as opposed to other two-port forms) leads to an intuitive representation of ideal teleoperator performace and applies to several teleoperator architectures. Thus measured values of the h matrix or values computed from a simulation can be used to compare performance with th ideal. The frequency-dependent h matrix is computed from a detailed SPICE model of an actual system, and the method is applied to a proposed architecture.

Hannaford, Blake↗

NASA NTRS1992

Life sciences and space research XXIV(4) - Natural and artificial ecosystems; Proceedings of the Topical Meeting of the Interdisciplinary Scientific Commission F (Meetings F10, F11, F1 and F12) of the COSPAR 28th Plenary Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, June 25-July 6, 1990

The present conference on natural and artificial ecosystems and their application to space research encompasses both in-flight and ground-based issues of recycling and control in regenerative life support, the relationships of productivity and facility design in higher plant growth, life-support systems for manned missions to Mars, and biochemical engineering applications in space. Specific issues addressed include interface problems between material recycling systems and plants, temperature and humidity control on a lunar base, the CELSS Test-Facility Project, achieving closure in plant-growth facilities, and life-support systems for Mars transit. Also addressed are a closed equilibrated biological aquatic system, a simulated Mars outpost in the Antarctica dry valleys, analyses of human kidney-cell populations separated on the space shuttle, and the evolution of a phase-separated gravity-independent bioreactor.

Macelroy, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1998

An Evaluation and Redesign of the Conflict Prediction and Trial Planning Planview Graphical User Interface

The Planview Graphical User Interface (PGUI) is the primary display of air traffic for the Conflict Prediction and Trial Planning, function of the Center TRACON Automation System. The PGUI displays air traffic information that assists the user in making decisions related to conflict detection, conflict resolution, and traffic flow management. The intent of this document is to outline the human factors issues related to the design of the conflict prediction and trial planning portions of the PGUI, document all human factors related design changes made to the PGUI from December 1996 to September 1997, and outline future plans for the ongoing PGUI design.

Laudeman, Irene V.↗

NASA NTRS2019

High Reliability Requires More than Providing Spares

It is sometimes optimistically hoped that a space life support system can be kept working throughout a long duration mission by repairing failed components, as long as sufficient spares are flown. It is usually assumed that the components have constant known failure rates. Then the needed numbers of spares can be computed to have any particular probability that all failed components can be replaced by available spares. This approach can provide high reliability if its favorable assumptions, including constant known failure rates, are satisfied. Other favorable assumptions are that the failures are statistically independent, repair will be successful without causing further failures, and all failures are due to internal component failures. These assumptions are not usually justified. The failure rates may be estimates that are inadequately verified because of insufficient testing. Failure rates may change due to materials substitutions, manufacturing changes, redesigns to fix failures, and new failures caused by redesigns. Failures that are not statistically independent may result from one common cause, such as a design or manufacturing error or a cascade of cause and effect, possibly caused by an external event such as a power outage. Repair may be unsuccessful or cause damage. Many failures occur at component interfaces or at the overall systems level, not within isolated components. Other failures causes are completely external to the system, due to assembly, maintenance, and operational errors or to unexpected environmental challenges. Replacement with sufficient spares can compensate for expected internal component failures but may not be able to cope with unpredictable design and manufacturing flaws, human errors, and environmental impacts. Reliability estimates based on providing sufficient spares to compensate for expected failures may be far too high. They are essentially upper bounds on reliability that might be approached if many frequent but often unconsidered failure causes can be eliminated.

spares↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Managing the Digital Thread for Structural Applications With Fit for Purpose Materials

With the increased emphasis on reducing the cost and time to market of new materials, the need for analytical tools that enable the virtual design and optimization of materials throughout their processing - internal structure - property - performance envelope, along with the capturing and storing of the associated material and model information across its lifecycle, has become critical. This need is also fueled by the demands for higher efficiency in material testing; consistency, quality and traceability of data; product design; engineering analysis; as well as control of access to proprietary or sensitive information. Consequently, at NASA Glenn Research Center a robust information management system that manages the digital thread across the full material life (i.e., capture, analysis, maintenance, and dissemination of data) cycle directed at the design of ‘fit-for-purpose materials’ is under development. To this end the Application Table has been incorporated within NASA Glenn Research Center’s ICME Information Management framework within the ANSYS Granta MI tool. The Application Table provides a place where material and structural application information/requirements can be linked to marry the “design-the-material” (structural engineering) and the “design-with-material” (material science) paradigms and thereby enable application-driven design and optimization of materials and structures. In additional several associated toolsets, specifically: AIMAOS (Automated Information Management Across Organizations and Scales), Py MILab, and JARIMIS (Just A Rather Intelligent Material Interrogation System) are also under development to assist in the judicious automation of this process. AIMOAS offers users an interactive graphical user interface for connecting material information management systems with both commercial and in-house simulation tools at various length scales to enable such automation in the handoff across scales and maintenance of material digital twins and the digital thread. Py MILab, is an automatic framework for the capture, analysis, maintenance, and storage of material test data. Py MILab uses a modular approach for capturing raw data, analyzing the data, and storing the data in a database, interfaced by neutral file structures, to promote plug-and-play capabilities for various analysis types. Finally, JARIMIS is an expert system that integrates various materials informatics tools (e.g., MicroNet, Surrogate ML models, ANSYS Granta MI, etc.) to enable inverse design of materials and facilitate the application of machine learning (ML) and data science with human in the loop decision making to rapidly discover and optimize new materials.

Digital Transformation↗