Challenges and Requirements in Multi-Drone Interfaces

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have been deployed across various applications. These applications range from entertainment to critical situations, such as search and rescue (SAR) operations. The use of single drones is most common--one pilot controls one individual drone. Research has begun to explore the benefits of deploying a group of drones as a coordinated swarm. It is, however, uncertain how a multi-drone system should be designed to facilitate interaction in real-world contexts. We report initial findings from three study sessions involving prototype evaluations and co-design sessions we conducted in collaboration with the emergency services of Denmark. The results of our study open new questions and provide input on the features and functions that impact the future adoption of multi-drone systems, including interactions with multiple video feeds, ecology of screens, team communication, and flight control methods.