A Perspective on GVSC Crewstation Development and Addressing Future Ground Combat Vehicle Needs

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) has been developing next generation crew stations over the last several decades. In this research, the problem space that impacts design development and decisions is discussed.

U.S. Army DEVCOM GVSC, Warren, Michigan

The interaction of soldiers with advanced combat vehicle systems grows more complex with: 1) Advancements and adaptation to emerging technology; 2) Increased sharing and proliferation of data and information; 3) Changing tactics and requirements of where and how these systems are to be used to gain battlefield dominance; 4) The goal to standardize software and hardware components to reduce costs/maintainability and enable more rapid integration into existing and emerging vehicle systems; 5) The unique shock and vibration experienced by ground combat systems; 6) Weight of the vehicle must be considered for transportability, which drives the vehicle size, that in turn impacts the crewstation volume, or the space soldiers occupy to operate the platform; 7) Survivability and safety of the crew is also essential, so it is desirable to bring the crew under armor instead of head out of hatch.

The potential for a smaller crew size to accommodate reduced vehicle weight is a difficult challenge in itself; a reduced vehicle crew must achieve the same level of performance as its predecessor larger crew, which implies existing tasks must be allocated across team members to successfully accomplish the mission. Now add that these tasks must be performed under armor, which requires vision systems be utilized that take 360 degrees of sensor input and present the visuals on a two-dimensional display within a reduced crewstation volume…we begin to appreciate some of the difficulties that drive successful soldier interactions with proposed vehicle systems. Reduced volume, under-hatch operations are only one consideration. When we contemplate the additional complexities identified above, the challenge becomes significant. Let's look at each identified challenge and its impact.