Abstract
The sense of touch as a man-machine communication channel can be as acute as the sense of sight and sound. In some scenarios such as those seen in aerobatics, stunt flying, and combat flights, tactile sensors can even outperform the conventional non-contact sensors in terms of situation awareness. Fusion of tactile sensory information with those obtained via sight and sound can avoid diverting the user’s attention away from the operational task at hand as well. In this study, the performance of an operator, to servo control the motion of a 2-dof model helicopter with pitch/yaw maneuverability, subjected to an intuitive body-referenced arrangement of a cluster of vibro-tactile sensors is investigated. A blindfolded operator will then control the helicopter to a safe attraction zone via a joystick based on this tactile sensory information. A fine-tuned local controller would take over for the end-of-motion precise homing. This study can pave the way towards a systematic integration and characterization of tactile sensors in high performance weapon platforms with improved situation awareness in visually awkward maneuvers such as those seen in aerial combat scenarios.
Highlights
Maneuverable flying machines such as helicopters are widely used in search and rescue, and surveillance due to their agility [1]. Control of these machines lends itself as a challenging Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO)
Incorporating haptic sensors into the closed-loop feedback control of flying machines has recently drawn a great deal of attention in both academia and the industry sector [2]
An effective human-in-the-loop hybrid control strategy based on sensory information obtained via an array of body-mounted haptic sensors is proposed
Summary
Maneuverable flying machines such as helicopters are widely used in search and rescue, and surveillance due to their agility [1]. An effective human-in-the-loop hybrid control strategy based on sensory information obtained via an array of body-mounted haptic sensors (i.e., vibrating motors) is proposed. This method was successfully tested on a 2dof model helicopter. The experimental model helicopter used in this study has two degrees of freedom, namely pitch and yaw (see Figure 1). The pitch angle is limited to ±40 degrees from the level configuration, while, thanks to the slip-ring employed at the pivot point, the yaw angle can vary, and being measured by an optical encoder, indefinitely.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
