Adaptive user interface for semi-automatic operation

A surveillance system comprising:

• an unmanned vehicle comprising:
• communication circuitry for receiving operational control signals and transmitting operational parameter signals and visual signals;
• a movement control module for controlling movement of the unmanned vehicle in response to movement control signals and for generating a first portion of the operational parameter signals in response to operation of the movement control module;
• an umanned vehicle controller coupled to the movement control module and the communication circuitry, wherein the unmanned vehicle controller generates the movement control signals in response to a first portion of the operational control signals;
• and
• a visual recording module for recording visual signals representative of one or more views from the unmanned vehicle in response to visual control signals and for generating a second portion of the operational parameter signals in response to operation of the visual recording module,
• wherein the unmanned vehicle controller is coupled to the visual recording module and generates the visual control signals in response to a second portion of the operational control signals;
• and
• a portable control device coupled to the unmanned vehicle for providing the operational control signals thereto and receiving the operational parameter signals and the visual signals therefrom, the portable control device comprising:
• communication circuitry for receiving the operational parameter signals and the visual signals from the unmanned vehicle and for transmitting the operational control signals to the unmanned vehicle;
• a graphic user interface (GUI) for presenting visual information to a user of the portable control device and for receiving user inputs thereby;
• and
• a portable control device controller coupled to the GUI and controlling the operational mode of the portable control device, wherein the portable control device controller monitors an operational environment of the portable control device and switches from a manual operation mode to a semi-automatic operation mode in response to measured and weighted combination of detected inputs and monitored parameters within the operational environment of the portable control device, the portable control device controller further providing GUI operational signals to the GUI for presenting a semi-automatic operation graphical user interface to the user while in the semi-automatic operation mode, wherein the semi-automatic operation graphical user interface comprises a reduced set of user interfaces for the semi-automatic operation mode presented by the portable control device.