The REMUS system includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI), which greatly simplifies vehicle maintenance, mission planning, vehicle checkout, and data analysis. The GUI, or vehicle interface program (VIP) is a Windows® application that will run on any PC or laptop operating under Windows® XP (98 and NT are also supported).

Communication between the vehicle and the computer is via a standard Ethernet connection through the Power/Data Interface Box, or directly using the serial cable. The REMUS vehicle interface program (VIP) provides a convenient means of mission planning and programming.

Features include:

• An integrated text editor for easy construction of the mission file.

• A map view showing the planned mission for review.

• Automatic error checking on all aspects of the planned mission, with warning messages that appear if any mission parameters are incorrect.

• A set of quick-look indicators that display critical system status, where green indicates OK, yellow indicates a non-critical fault, and red indicates a critical fault.

• Multi-page text windows that display detailed information on the internal systems.

When connected on the bench, the vehicle is constantly sending status messages to the host, which are used to update the display in near real-time. During a mission, when no host is connected, the vehicle logs these same messages to an internal disk drive. Upon recovery, this log file may be uploaded and played back, providing the operator with a view of all vehicle systems as they were operating during the mission as if the host had been connected the entire time. This feature provides instant quality control checking of the mission that was just run, and is extremely useful as training and troubleshooting aids.

The REMUS VIP software includes a sophisticated data export capability. After a mission, any data that has been logged by the vehicle control computer may be exported to either an ASCII text or Matlab format, allowing for simple importing to typical spreadsheet programs or Matlab for further processing. Exported data files can include vehicle position, depth, altitude, time or any other desired parameter to assist the analyst with post-processing.

The REMUS software can be installed on your existing computer, or can be installed in a ruggedized laptop computer available for purchase from Hydroid.