Towards Intuitive HMI for UAV Control

In the last decade, UAVs have become a widely used technology. As they are used by both professionals and amateurs, there is a need to explore different control modalities to make control intuitive and easier, especially for new users. In this work, we compared the most widely used joystick control with a custom human pose control. We used human pose estimation and arm movements to send UAV commands in the same way that operators use their fingers to send joystick commands. Experiments were conducted in a simulation environment with first-person visual feedback. Participants had to traverse the same maze with joystick and human pose control. Participants' subjective experience was assessed using the raw NASA Task Load Index.Comment: 2022 International Conference on Smart Systems and Technologies (SST

Design of a Wireless Drone Recharging Station and a Special Robot End Effector for Installation on a Power Line

Drone autonomous operations near power lines are growing steadily and require innovative techniques to keep them on air. This paper presents a novel electromechanical recharging station that can be mounted on energized AC power line to charge the drone battery wirelessly without a need to modify the electrical infrastructure. The work shows a thorough analysis of the electrical and mechanical core components to build a flexible, lightweight and efficient recharging station that can be attached to a robotic arm. The work also discusses the recharging station design and its special robot end effector that mechanically couples the station with an aerial manipulator. Finally, the recharging station has been tested in the lab and in a real power line setup to validate its design and efficiency. The total achieved mass is 2300 grams with a harvesting efficiency of 77% at 250 A primary current