Abstract
Prototyping of subsystem and system components
is most often thought of as a development task. This paper
shows the usefulness of prototyping as an activity in the
requirements elicitation process, prior to any developement
activities. It is approached from the field of engineering and
technology management. It uses the Requirements Engineering
approach to identify tools and methods for the development of
the requirements for an underground unmanned aerial system
for use in South Africa’s’ gold mines to inspect box-holes
and ore-passes. Box-holes and ore-passes are vertical tunnels
through which the ore must pass in moving from the stope,
where it is mined, to the shaft, where it is hauled to the surface
for processing. The more familiar new product development
framework is compared to the requirement engineering process.
The prototypes of a number of subsystems are presented,
namely, a quadrotor platform, a platform preservation sensor
array, an optical flow sensor for position holding, a vision
sensor for operator visualization, and an operator interface.
The perceived significant technological challenges are discussed
as motivation in the choice of these subsystem prototypes that
will be used in the interviews that are to form the basis of the
requirements elicitation activity.