Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Natural Interaction With Flying Robots Via Kinect

Posted by Soulskill on from the i'll-order-a-dozen dept.

garymortimer writes "Researchers at The Flying Machine Arena in the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control ETH Zurich control a multicopter drone with gesture based commands. The designers say they are 'looking for ways to make interaction with our vehicles natural and intuitive.'"

3 of 28 comments (clear)

  1. I love it! Sign me up to be a drone pilot! by lexsird · · Score: 2

    What impressed me the most was the helicopter they were using. Put a camera on that with a feed. Add other things as well.

    See, I could see squad cars in the future sporting these kinds of drones. You stop, get out, and the drone launches and gives you a birds-eye view and assistance. Give it verbal and hand signals. Military applications for this are endless, as are intelligence operations. What a fun time we live in!

    --
    Take the Red Pill.
  2. I've just been piloting my multicopter drone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...and boy, are my arms tired!

    1. Re:I've just been piloting my multicopter drone... by Dr+Herbert+West · · Score: 2

      Mod +1 insightful. I know it was intended to be funny, but that's exactly the problem with these types of interfaces. I can see it now:

      "To hover, hold your hand out flat without moving". Half an hour into a surveillance operation, the copter crashes onto the top of the suspect's head when some cop's arm gets tired.

      What's the matter with standard PS2 or XBOX game controller? Intuitive, cheap, and the UI bugs have been worked out years ago.