Project IKAROS UAV Mission Planning Activity
Developing mission-planning skills through constraint-based UAV decision-making.
An interactive UAV mission-planning activity was designed for the Military Aerospace and Airworthiness MSc, enabling students to practise applied decision-making through trade-offs, constraints, and consequence-driven outcomes.
The map-based interface requires learners to balance fuel limitations, threat exposure, observation opportunities, and scoring, with decisions directly influencing mission success. The emphasis is placed on developing a justified strategy rather than relying on trial-and-error optimisation.
The UX/UI design was led from concept to implementation, with the interaction model, interface structure, and visual language defined throughout. A bespoke UAV image bank was produced, styled as degraded onboard camera captures to reinforce risk and reward decisions. The activity was successfully piloted and is now being extended to support greater mission complexity.
UAV Mission Planning - Decision and Reconnaissance
This interactive mission simulation, presented through a video walkthrough, requires users to plan a UAV flight path in constrained airspace and complete reconnaissance tasks involving visual identification and decision-making under pressure.
Project IKAROS - User Authentication
The entry screen establishes secure access to the UAV mission planning activity.
Project IKAROS - Mission Initialisation
Preloading screen prepares scenario data, constraints, and simulation parameters before mission start.
Project IKAROS - Activity Overview
Overview interface outlines mission objectives, constraints, and success criteria before planning begins.
Project IKAROS - UAV Mission Planning
Primary interaction screen for planning routes, managing constraints, and making mission-critical decisions.
Project IKAROS - Observation Zone Decisions
Decision panel prompts users to evaluate observation zones and balance risk, coverage, and mission goals.
Project IKAROS - Mission Completion
Outcome screen confirming successful landing and mission execution based on planning decisions.
Project IKAROS - Mission Failure
The failure state shows the consequences of suboptimal planning or a constraint violation.
Project IKAROS - Mission Performance Metrics
The post-mission statistics screen summarises performance, efficiency, and decision quality.
Project IKAROS - Leaderboard and Scoring
The comparative results screen reinforces replayability and decision optimisation through ranked scoring.