Remote vehicle missions and systems for supporting remote vehicle missions

1. An operator control unit comprising:

a transmission unit configured to transmit data to a remote vehicle;

a receiver unit configured to receive data from the remote vehicle, the data received from the remote vehicle comprising image data captured by the remote vehicle; and

a display unit configured to display a user interface comprising the image data received from the remote vehicle and icons representing a plurality of controllable elements of the remote vehicle, and configured to receive an input for a control command to control at least one of the plurality of controllable elements, the plurality of controllable elements comprising:

one or more motor control nodes of an articulated manipulator arm having multiple coupled portions, each motor control node causing movement of one coupled portion relative to another coupled portion;

wherein receiving a control command to control the at least one controllable element comprises:

receiving a selection of an icon representing at least one controllable element;

receiving a move command comprising a movement of the icon from a first position to a second position on the display unit, the icon constrained to move only in directions of possible movement of the corresponding at least one controllable element, movement of the selected icon causing movement on the display unit of any other icons representing any controllable elements movably coupled to the at least one controllable element of the selected icon, the movement of the any other icons corresponding to a change in pose of the remote vehicle resulting from the move command; and

when the selected icon represents a motor control node of the manipulation arm and when the move command comprises a corresponding linear movement of the selected icon, the corresponding linear movement causing movement of other icons representing other motor control nodes of the manipulation arm with respect to the selected icon.

2. The operator control unit of claim 1 , wherein the display unit comprises a touch-screen display and the icons each comprise an image of the controllable element that they represent,

selecting the at least one controllable element comprises touching the touch-screen display at or around the icon representing the at least one controllable element, and

inputting the action comprises manipulating the image of the at least one controllable element on the touch-screen while touching the screen.

3. The operator control unit of claim 1 , further comprising a computer mouse,

wherein selecting the at least one controllable element comprises clicking the mouse pointer at or around the icon representing the at least one controllable element, and

inputting the action comprises manipulating the image of the at least one controllable element on the display while clicking the mouse.

4. The operator control unit of claim 1 , further comprising a computer joystick,

wherein selecting the at least one controllable element comprises clicking the joystick at or around the icon representing the at least one controllable element, and

inputting the action comprises manipulating the image of the at least one controllable element on the display while clicking the joystick.

5. The operator control unit of claim 2 , further comprising at least one stereo-vision camera to generate a 3D VOXEL-based representation of an area in which the vehicle is located,

wherein data received from the vehicle further comprises stereo-vision-based data for generating the VOXEL-based representation,

wherein the image displayed by the display unit further comprises the VOXEL-based representation and a representation of the remote vehicle, and

wherein the VOXEL-based representation and the representation of the remote vehicle depict the inputted action.

6. The operator control unit of claim 5 , wherein the user interface image further comprises an action-selection button, and pressing the action-selection button directs the operator control unit to request the remote vehicle to perform the inputted action depicted by the VOXEL-based representation and the representation of the vehicle.

7. The operator control unit of claim 5 , wherein the operator control unit requests the vehicle to perform the action simultaneously to the depiction by the VOXEL-based representation and the representation of the vehicle.

8. The operator control unit of claim 6 , wherein, after the vehicle performs the action depicted by the VOXEL-based representation and the representation of the vehicle, manipulation of any controllable element of the plurality of controllable elements updates the manipulation in at least one of the vehicle and the depiction by the VOXEL-based representation and the representation of the vehicle.