SlingDrone: Mixed Reality System for Pointing and Interaction Using a Single Drone

TL;DR

SlingDrone introduces a novel mixed reality interaction system using a drone as a pointing device, combining VR visualization and force feedback for intuitive control without handheld devices.

Contribution

The paper presents SlingDrone, a new drone-based interaction paradigm integrating VR and force feedback for standalone, intuitive pointing and manipulation in mixed reality environments.

Findings

Effective drone-based pointing demonstrated in VR

Force feedback enhances user control and experience

Versatile onboard payload enables various interaction scenarios

Abstract

We propose SlingDrone, a novel Mixed Reality interaction paradigm that utilizes a micro-quadrotor as both pointing controller and interactive robot with a slingshot motion type. The drone attempts to hover at a given position while the human pulls it in desired direction using a hand grip and a leash. Based on the displacement, a virtual trajectory is defined. To allow for intuitive and simple control, we use virtual reality (VR) technology to trace the path of the drone based on the displacement input. The user receives force feedback propagated through the leash. Force feedback from SlingDrone coupled with visualized trajectory in VR creates an intuitive and user friendly pointing device. When the drone is released, it follows the trajectory that was shown in VR. Onboard payload (e.g. magnetic gripper) can perform various scenarios for real interaction with the surroundings, e.g. manipulation or sensing. Unlike HTC Vive controller, SlingDrone does not require handheld devices, thus it can be used as a standalone pointing technology in VR.