Assessing the Impact of VR Interfaces in Human-Drone Interaction

Drones are a uniquely useful type of robot that allows aerial exploration and surveying. However, they require substantial training to operate effectively. Previous research has introduced novel drone interfaces, but have not substantively compared these interfaces. In this paper, we explore the impact and differences of VR and 2D interfaces on layman human-drone interaction. We measured performance on three environmental exploration tasks in an indoor environment. Participants were introduced to the interfaces and then asked to read random sequences of digits from 1 meter away. The simple task had the participant read one sequence, while the complex task had the participant read four sequences in positions around the room. This required participants to demonstrate moderate levels of competence while operating the drone. Our results suggest that our VR interface has a comparable performance to a smartphone interface across all three tasks. Despite this, VR interfaces show potential to reduce barriers to drone operation and should be the focus of future research.

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Cite this paper as:

  
    @article{gramopadhye2023assessing,
    author = {Gramopadhye, Maitrey and Wang, Arran Zeyu and Shearer, Leonard and Qin, Tony and Szafir, Daniel},
    title = {Assessing the Impact of VR Interfaces in Human-Drone Interaction},
    year = {2023}
    }