You can leave the protein pills and helmet to Major Tom, we're sticking with Ground Control.
Despite all the advances in Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over the last few years, the control hasn't changed a great deal. Large aircraft such as the Reaper are controlled by pilots sitting in full-size cockpit mock-ups. Meanwhile smaller aircraft seem to be falling into two camps: either they are still controlled by the twin-sticks that we have seen with model aircraft for years; or they are following the obsession over the smart phone.
We think another approach is needed where the pilot or operator can both plan and edit a mission and manually control the aircraft or camera. We've been busy designing an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Ground Control Station (GCS) around the Wing to meet this need.
UAV control was a major impetus behind the development of the Wing right from the start and now that we've finished the design, we've had a chance to work on the rest of the system. Essentially, what we're trying to do is to integrate the mission planning, flight control, and data analysis into a single unit. It's a work in progress and so far looks like this:
We wanted something for people who want to focus on the job rather than piloting the aircraft. We took the Wing and added a docked-laptop, keyboard, sunlight-readable screen, second joystick and two-way telemetry system. This means everything necessary is in one integrated system, so that you can arrive on site, plan the mission, manually fly the aircraft if required, adjust the camera and analyze the data as it comes in.
