Using drones has simplified greatly over the years. For the most part, they are controlled with remote control, similar to a video game controller, or a touch screen smart app. Pretty much anyone can pick up a drone and fly it. If you can play a video game or a game on a phone or tablet, it isn’t much different. But for some people, having to coordinate movements with both hands can be difficult. For some, getting the hang of flying a drone that requires both hands to complete individual tasks can be overwhelming. But what if a drone could be controlled with the use of only one hand? That is the exact concept two separate teams of students have been working on.

Three Microengineering students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) decided to build a system that uses haptic feedback to control a drone. Co-founders Timothée Peter (project leader), Arthur Gay (Software), and Thibaut Paschal (Hardware) founded Motion Pilot as a way to enhance the way people interact with and fly drones. Rather than using a traditional control system, Motion Pilot uses a single joystick with one trigger on it. The device responds through the user’s haptic feedback. Much like how a video game controller will vibrate to alert a player to make a move, the joystick receives an alert from the user to move the drone. Basically it is a way for the device to communicate with whoever is holding it simply by responding to the way it is moved about.

To use the Motion Pilot joystick, simply hold it in one hand and lean it forward or side to side to move a drone. Pressing the trigger on the handle changes the drone’s altitude. It is so simple that even someone inexperienced can fly a drone on their first try. In fact, during a trial Motion Pilot handed the joystick to someone with zero explanation as to how to operate it. The pilot was instantly able to fly the drone successfully. The device comes with an app that allows you to choose either a beginner, intermediate or experienced flight mode. Julien Perroud, an experienced drone pilot and fellow student at EPFL, had the opportunity to test out the Motion Pilot joystick. “Switching from the old controller to the joystick was a snap. The joystick becomes second nature – you forget you’re piloting a drone. It’s a major improvement,” says Perroud.

Meanwhile at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), under the guidance of Professor Daniela Rus, graduate student Joseph DelPreto has also been working on new ways to interact with drones using simple hand gestures. As presented in DelPreto’s paper on the matter, “As the capacity for machines to extend human capabilities continues to grow, the communication channels used must also expand. Allowing machines to interpret nonverbal commands such as gestures can help make interactions more similar to interactions with another person… The presented work takes a step towards these goals by using wearable muscle and motion sensors to detect gestures without dedicated calibration or training procedures.” DelPreto calls his new system Conduct-a-Bot, a series of muscle and motion sensors that are worn on one arm and electronically communicate with a drone.

Conduct-a-Bot can recognize eight different gestures, translating these through an algorithm into drone movements. The muscle sensors called electromyography (EMG) sensors, are placed on the bicep, tricep, and forearm. When the wearer flexes their muscles by bending or straightening the elbow or moving their hand and forearm, the sensors wirelessly send the signal to the drone. Each time a user puts on the Conduct-a-Bot the algorithm begins to learn the user’s specific movement styles. This allows it to adapt instantly to be used by each individual. While there is still some work to be done, like eliminating a slight lag in the drone’s response to the gestures, Conduct-a-Bot works smoothly. By simply moving his arm and hand through small gestures, DelPreto and other testers were able to fly a small drone through an obstacle course that included multi-tiered rings.

For now, Conduct-a-Bot is still in the research phase, and DelPreto has yet to say if he plans to commercialize it. Timothée and his Motion Pilot co-founders are ready to bring their joystick to market. It is compatible with any drone that can accept additional radio receivers, with the goal of making it customizable to specific drones in the future. But what both models show is that you do not need to be an experienced drone pilot to enjoy flying a drone. Now with simple, single hand and arm movements, anyone can master flying a drone.

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