Vocalics in Human-Drone Interaction

• Main Authors: Lieser, Marc, Schwanecke, Ulrich
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic communication (telecommunication); Acoustics; Drones; Loudspeakers; Noise; Quadrotors; Robot sensing systems; Rotors; Trajectory; Visualization
• ISSN: 1944-9437
• DOI: 10.1109/RO-MAN60168.2024.10731428

As the presence of flying robots continues to grow in both commercial and private sectors, it necessitates an understanding of appropriate methods for nonverbal interaction with humans. While visual cues, such as gestures incorporated into trajectories, are more apparent and thoroughly researched, acoustic cues have remained unexplored, despite their potential to enhance human-drone interaction. Given that additional audiovisual and sensory equipment is not always desired or practicable, and flight noise often masks potential acoustic communication in rotary-wing drones, such as through a loudspeaker, the rotors themselves offer potential for nonverbal communication. In this paper, the consequential sound during the flight of a quadrotor is utilized and modified to carry acoustic information while maintaining the visually perceived flight characteristics. A user study (N=192) demonstrates that acoustically augmenting the trajectories of two aerial gestures with the proposed approach makes them more easily distinguishable. This enhancement contributes to human-drone interaction through onboard means, particularly in situations where the human cannot see or look at the drone.