Creating a Mixed Reality Common Operating Picture Across C2 Echelons for Human-Autonomy Teams

摘要

One of the most significant challenges for the emerging operational environment addressed by Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) is the exchange of information between personnel in operating environments. Making information available for leveraging at the appropriate echelon is essential for convergence, a key tenet of MDO. Emergent cross-reality (XR) technologies are poised to have a significant impact on the convergence of the information environment. These powerful technologies present an opportunity to not only enhance the situational awareness of individuals at the "local" tactical edge and the decision-maker at the "global" mission command (C2), but to intensely and intricately bridge the information exchanged across all echelons. Complimentarily, the increasing use of autonomy in MDO, from autonomous robotic agents in the field to decision-making assistance for C2 operations, also holds great promise for human-autonomy teaming to improve performance at all echelon levels. Traditional research examines, at most, a small subset of these problems. Here, we envision a system that sees human-robot teams operating at the local edge communicating with human-autonomy teams at the global operations level. Both teams use a mixed reality (MR) system for visualization and interaction with a common operating picture (COP) to enhance situational awareness, sensing, and communication - but with highly different purposes and considerations. By creating a system that bridges across echelons, we are able to examine these considerations to determine their impact on information shared bi-directionally, between the global (C2) and local (tactical) levels, in order to understand and improve autonomous agents teamed with humans at both levels. We present a prototype system that includes an autonomous robot operating with a human teammate sharing sensory data and action plans with, and receiving commands and intelligence information from, a tactical operations team commanding from a remote location. We examine the challenges and considerations in creating such a system, and present initial findings.