Flying a drone requires some practice and confidence to operate it effectively. Whether it’s a fixed-wing or multi-rotor aircraft, there are a lot of complex processes that go on as you fly. To make matters worse, the control systems are usually not intuitive.  Cameras and VR headsets offer a first-person viewpoint which can be really helpful for drone operators, but you’ll still need to use some movable sticks to fly the drone and this requires, both concentration and experience.

A new system for controlling and flying drones was developed by EPFL. The system does not require complex remote controls. Instead they’ve replaced remotes with virtual reality type movements. This system is comfortable and more natural and makes use of the body.  It’s called a FlyJacket. This is an upper-body soft exoskeleton which can help pilots fly drones by controlling the drone through immersive virtual reality. With arms spread out and wearing the FlyJacket, a pilot only has to pitch or roll their body to move the drone in the direction they want.

There are other projects that have explored this same fundamental idea. One of the most notable of all the projects is called Birdly. This is a platform that enables a person to lay down while wearing a VR headset and flap their hands like a bird.  Birdly isn’t portable or an ideal way for flying a real-life drone. FlyJacket, however, was intended to be a compact, easy to use and cost-effective system.

The EPFL development team was led by Professor Dario Floreano. Wearing the FlyJacket is easy and operators do not need that training to fly. Even though it looks a bit uncomfortable, the removable arm supports make it suitable for long-term use. The suit is also outfitted with sensors which is the reason the drone can detect the body movement and understand the operator’s commands.

Aside from being an easy and natural drone control system, the exo-suit also offer some more benefits. It was discovered that operators can fly drones more consistently with the suit when compared to regular flight.  With a traditional controller you have to make external movements, but with this suit, you are one with the drone’s movement. Perhaps the movement of the drone delivers instant feedback not experienced with a remote control.  Operators also noted that they felt less VR-like motion sickness. This may also be because of the connection between the drone and the body, rather than the drone and their eyes.