Human Machine Interface Issues for Drone Fleet Management

The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, commonly called drones, today is massively growing. Drones can be remotely piloted (RPAS - Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) or they can automatically fly. Recently applications are emerging which require the use of fleet of drones and a related human machine interface to ensure better performance and reliability. Safety in those system is a priority aspect. A major cause for accidents involving drones is ground operators’ error, due to poorly designed user interfaces. Therefore, the interest in human factors arises with the aim of contributing to the maintenance of high safety standards of flight missions through the systematic application of usability principles during the development of the inter-faces. The present work reports on an ongoing study meant to design Ground Control Station interfaces for multiple RPAS control, with the goal to enhance operators’ performance and increase the probability of mission success.